Never Let On
by SkyWarrior108
Summary: AU. Quinn is a cocky soccer player who likes Rachel and wants to date her, but Rachel hates the way Quinn acts and refuses to give into the other girl's advances. But when she discovers Quinn's deepest secret, things start to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** AU. Quinn is a cocky soccer player who likes Rachel and wants to date her, but Rachel hates the way Quinn acts and refuses to give into the other girl's advances. But when she discovers Quinn's deepest secret, things start to change. Written for a prompt on the LJ rq_meme.

**Warning:** This fic deals with physical abuse, so if you are sensitive to it, you might want to consider reading something else.

* * *

The final bell of the day rang, signaling the end of the school day. _Finally!_ Rachel thought as she collected her books and headed toward her locker. After putting everything away and collecting some sheet music, she turned to walk down the hall towards the choir room for glee practice, which was easily the best part of her day.

Well, it had been, at least. After the events of this past weekend, she suspected there might be some awkwardness. But she was a professional, and she refused to let personal matters negatively affect her performance.

As she approached the choir room door, she heard raucous laughter coming from inside and instinctively paused in her steps. She didn't like walking into situations blind, especially if her now ex-boyfriend was inside. The split had been relatively amicable—and they both acknowledged that they made better friends than lovers—but there was always the possibility for lingering hurt feelings.

"Did you guys hear? Rachel broke up with Finn over the weekend," she heard Mercedes say. Rachel felt a bit relieved that Finn wasn't there yet, but slightly annoyed that people would be talking about her personal business.

"Oh really?" That was Quinn, and Rachel thought she sounded pleased.

"Oh, I know that look," Puck teased. "You want to get in her pants."

"Maybe," came the coy reply.

Rachel groaned. _Oh, God, I hope not,_ she thought. While she could admit to herself that Quinn was beautiful—possibly the most beautiful girl in their school, in fact—she was well aware of Quinn's reputation, and that killed any attraction she might have felt toward the taller girl. Despite how many other girls had fallen for the blonde soccer player's "charms," Rachel was less than impressed to put it kindly.

"Yeah, good luck with that, Q," Puck said. "If she won't go out with me, what makes you think she'll want you?"

"Please," Quinn shot back. "Rachel actually has standards."

"Oh, snap!" came the sound of Matt's voice, followed by Mike and Mercedes' laughter.

"There's a reason I've gotten with more Cheerios than you, Puck. Now that Finn's out of the picture, Rachel won't be able to resist me."

Disgusted, Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't believe the nerve of the other girl. "With that attitude, I certainly can resist you," she muttered to herself as she walked into the choir room, pointedly ignoring the group sitting on the back risers as she went to lay her sheet music on top of the piano.

"Speak of the devil," Puck commented with a smirk.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw Quinn return it with a smirk of her own before getting up to walk toward her. All eyes were on them, waiting to see what would transpire.

"Hey, Rachel," Quinn greeted with a confident smile as she sidled up alongside her, leaning casually against the piano to look at the smaller girl.

"Quinn," she replied coolly, keeping her focus on the sheet music before her.

Undeterred by Rachel's icy demeanor, Quinn continued. "So there's this new Italian restaurant that just opened up downtown that I'd love to take you to. I'll pick you up on Friday at 7:00."

Rachel couldn't believe how presumptuous the girl was. Still, she decided to opt for civility. "No thank you, Quinn," she replied with no small amount of annoyance as she turned to face her. "As I'm sure you know, I recently got out of a relationship, and-"

"Which is why you should go out with me," Quinn interrupted, smooth as ever. "No one knows how to show a girl a good time better than I do."

Rachel was irritated now. She put her hands on her hips, looking up at the other girl with a scowl. "I understand that girls with smaller brain capacities might be flattered by this approach, but I, as you so succinctly informed Noah earlier, have standards."

"Burn!" came Puck's shout as their fellow gleeks busted out laughing behind them.

Quinn was momentarily stunned speechless by Rachel's rejection—disbelief showing clearly in her hazel eyes. Rachel thought she saw a flash of hurt as well, but it was gone before she could be sure. _Not that it matters. Serves her right for acting so cocky._

Just then, Mr. Schuester entered the room, saving Rachel from having to deal with Quinn any further. She jumped at the chance to end the conversation.

"Mr. Schuester!" she called, running over to him. "After compiling an extensive selection of songs, I've narrowed down my setlist of what we should perform at Invitationals."

As Quinn went back to her seat, Rachel could only hope that the girl had gotten the hint.

* * *

Quinn had gotten the hint alright, but she wasn't planning on taking it. If anything, Rachel's reaction made her even more intrigued. She had liked Rachel for awhile, but she hadn't had the opportunity to go after the girl. Despite what people thought about her, going after girls already attached was not something she did. But now that Finn was out of the picture, she was in the clear.

"Nice going, Fabray," Puck teased as she took her seat. "I don't think I've ever seen you get shot down quite like that before."

Quinn smiled and shrugged. "She's a challenge. I like that."

"How do you know she's even into chicks, huh?" Matt asked.

"Since when has that ever mattered?" Quinn replied with a smirk, resulting in the boys laughing and giving her high fives.

"For the record, Rachel does swing both ways," Mercedes clarified quietly for Matt, since Quinn already knew that little tidbit of information.

Quinn noticed Rachel watching them out of the corner of her eye, clearly displeased with their conversation. She frowned slightly, feeling a little bad about it, so she decided to change the discussion. "Anyway, enough about that. What songs do you think Mr. Schue's going to pick for Invitationals?"

Mercedes and the boys all broke out into conversation then, excitedly talking about what they hoped they would be doing. Quinn allowed her eyes to wander back to Rachel, who looked on as Mr. Schue flipped through the sheet music the girl had handed to him.

Finn walked in then with Kurt, capturing Rachel's attention. The former couple exchanged hesitant but warm hellos. This made Quinn feel better about going after Rachel—it appeared that neither of them were hung up on each other.

Soon everyone was present, and Mr. Schuester began rehearsal. Practice went fairly smoothly considering that they were learning a new number. Quinn sort of wished that it would never end, even though she had every intention of approaching Rachel as soon as it was over.

But before Quinn got a chance to talk to her again, Rachel had already left with Artie and Tina.

* * *

"We heard Quinn asked you out yesterday," Tina said at lunch the next day. "I can't believe you said no to her."

"If by 'asked out' you mean just assuming she could pick me up on Friday night," Rachel retorted, crossing her arms. "She's so arrogant. I don't understand what those Cheerios see in her."

"Are you serious? She's really hot. I mean, I'm not into girls in the slightest, but even I'd go straight for her," Kurt commented.

Everyone at the table stared at him in disbelief before bursting out into laughter.

"Anyway," Rachel continued once their laughter subsided, "I think she got the point that I'm not interested."

"Are you sure about that?" Artie asked, his gaze shooting over her left shoulder.

Rachel turned around, only to see one Quinn Fabray walking toward their lunch table with a tray in hand.

"Hey, guys," she said with a smile, sitting in the empty seat next to Rachel.

"Hey, Quinn," they all replied warmly, including Rachel, who figured she was just joining them for lunch. Surely Quinn had gotten the hint that she wasn't interested yesterday.

"Hey, Rach," Quinn said, turning to face the girl beside her. "Thanks for saving me a seat next to you," she added with a sly wink.

Or not.

"So I meant to talk to you after glee practice yesterday," she continued, "but you left before I got a chance to. I'd really like to take you out to a movie after we have dinner this Friday."

Rachel sighed, feeling her irritation growing. She really wasn't in the mood for this. Still, she decided not to tear Quinn's head off in front of everyone. "I'm really not up for anything like that. I'm not over Finn yet."

Okay, so that was a lie. And granted, it probably hadn't been the smartest thing to say it in front of Mercedes, because that piece of information would most likely reach Quinn's ears eventually. And considering that Quinn looked like she wasn't buying it, it was obvious she knew the truth.

Quinn placed her arm around Rachel, her smile growing wider. "Come on, Rach. I know that's not true. Let me take you out. I promise you'll have fun."

"You're unbelievable," Rachel huffed, her patience snapping as she shoved Quinn's arm away. "As I told you yesterday: I'm not interested." She pushed her chair back and abruptly stood, staring down at Quinn, who looked both amused and a touch nervous. "And stop calling me 'Rach.' Only my friends are allowed to call me that."

And with that, she spun on her heels, prepared to storm out of the cafeteria.

"Ouch," she heard Tina say behind her.

That was enough to make Rachel feel a little guilty about being so harsh, but she promptly pushed it down and walked out, not bothering to look back.

* * *

Quinn decided to wait until after school to approach Rachel again. Kurt had suggested actually trying to ask Rachel to go out on a date with her instead of just telling her she would pick her up. Quinn hadn't even realized how often she did that with girls since they always agreed, but, of course, Rachel was different. And Quinn really wanted to be given a chance, so she figured she'd try a different approach.

There was no glee rehearsal that day, but she did have soccer practice to get to, so she was hoping to catch her before then. Fortunately, she found Rachel by her locker shortly after the final bell rang. She looked to be in deep concentration as she punched a text message into her bedazzled cell phone.

"Hey, gorgeous," Quinn greeted her, mindful not to use 'Rach' again. Plus, she thought that the other girl would appreciate the compliment.

Rachel tensed up at the words and looked over at Quinn warily.

"So, I was wondering if you'd like to try that new Italian place and then maybe hit up a movie this Friday. I'll pick you up at 7:00, okay?" There, she had phrased it in the form of a question. Sort of.

Rachel slammed her locker closed and turned to face Quinn fully. "As I've told you before, Quinn, no, I will not go out with you," she huffed. "Not Friday. Not ever."

That stung, but Quinn quickly pushed down the hurt she felt at the rejection. Instead, she grinned and chuckled. "You know, you're adorable when you play hard to get."

Rachel narrowed her eyes before stomping her foot and storming off down the hall.

Quinn stared after the girl's retreating form and sighed, deflating slightly and beginning a slow walk toward the girl's locker room.

"Way to go, Q," Puck teased, elbowing her as he came to walk alongside her. "You managed to get her to do that diva storm out thing."

She quickly regained her confident demeanor and replied with a grin, "That's actually the second time I've done that."

"Impressive."

"I'll win her over."

* * *

"Why do you even like Rachel anyway?" Puck asked Quinn as they walked through the parking lot after their respective football and soccer practices. "She's been nothing but a bitch to you lately."

"She hasn't always been a bitch to me."

"Yeah, not until you started trying to get into her pants."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I'm not trying to get into her pants."

Puck looked at her disbelievingly.

"Well, not entirely," she said with a smirk before growing more serious. "I don't know. Rachel's different from any other girl I've been with. She's really smart and talented. She's passionate about the things she cares about."

Puck looked at her oddly for a second. "You really do like this chick, huh?"

Quinn smiled wistfully. "I do."

* * *

"I don't understand why you keep saying no to Quinn, Rachel," Brittany said as she sat beside her in the choir room, her pinkie entwined with Santana's, as per usual. "She's super hot."

"I will concede that she's quite beautiful, but her cockiness is extremely off-putting," Rachel replied. "Some confidence is good, but she takes it too far."

"Like you're one to talk," Artie teased.

"It's not the same!" she argued. "I don't assume that everyone should want to date me like Quinn does. I just know what my own talents are."

"Right, and Quinn knows her talents. Being really awesome at sports and being really awesome in bed," Brittany commented with a dreamy smile before furrowing her brow in thought. "Although, she hardly ever let me and Santana see her naked."

"Okay, that is way too much information to be sharing with these losers, B," Santana interjected.

Artie looked disappointed.

"While I object to being called a loser, I definitely have to agree with that being a little TMI," Rachel agreed, but there was something that Brittany had said that caught her attention—something that seemed unusual for someone who seemed to exude so much confidence. Before she could consider it further, Santana started talking again.

"Whatever, Berry. I know you're less of a social pariah now that you've dated Finn, but you should do yourself a favor and go out with Quinn."

"Never." Rachel was adamant. There was no way she would ever go out with a girl like Quinn Fabray, no matter how pretty she was.

* * *

"You know, I think I figured out why Rachel keeps saying no to you," Brittany said to Quinn while she and Santana watched her eat her lunch.

"Enlighten me," Quinn replied, eager for any information that might get Rachel to agree to go on a date with her.

"Well, I think she would say yes, but she said she doesn't like your cock."

"What?" Quinn was flabbergasted. "B, what are you talking about? You know I don't have a cock. I'm all woman."

"Baby, what Berry said was 'cockiness,'" Santana clarified.

"Oh," Brittany replied, but she still looked a little confused.

"Apparently your 'attitude' is a total turnoff for her," Santana said to Quinn with a roll of her eyes. "Otherwise, I'm pretty sure she'd let you hit that. She does think you're hot, so at least we know she isn't completely insane."

And then everything clicked for Quinn. She knew what she had to do to win Rachel over.

* * *

Rachel stood at her locker, sorting through the books she would need in order to do her homework that night. As she went to grab her history textbook, she spotted Quinn coming toward her out of the corner of her eye.

She straightened, readying herself as Quinn came to stand alongside her.

"Hey, Rachel. Listen, I-"

"That is it!" she interrupted, furious. "I have had it up to here with you, Quinn! No means no! You're presumptuous, arrogant, and rude! It takes more than pretty eyes and a nice smile to win me over. You have nothing to offer me. Let me say it again so that it gets through your thick head: Leave. Me. Alone."

Everyone left standing in the hallway was silent and staring at the two of them now, and Quinn was clearly embarrassed. Rachel almost felt guilty, but she was really getting tired of the arrogant girl constantly trying to get her to go out with her.

However, Quinn quickly collected herself, giving off her usual air of confidence. "You're loss," she said with a shrug, before turning away.

Rachel watched her go, unsure of how to react. If she hadn't seen how embarrassed Quinn was with her own eyes, the girl's response would have infuriated her. Now, she was just confused.

Sighing, she turned back to her locker, and the students around her continued on with their own business.

* * *

Quinn sat on her couch, staring at the TV but not really processing what was on. She couldn't believe what had happened at school today. Maybe it was better that she hadn't gotten the chance to say what she had intended on saying if Rachel's reaction was any indication. It was obvious that Rachel wanted nothing to do with her, and Quinn found that it really hurt.

The sound of the front door opening pulled Quinn from her thoughts. She looked over to see her father walk through the front door, and it was immediately apparent that he was in a foul mood. Quinn unconsciously tensed up, knowing all too well that never boded well for her. It was just a matter of time before she would unintentionally set him off.

Dinner was a silent affair. As she ate, Quinn made sure to keep her gaze down at her plate to avoid meeting her father's hard eyes. Her mother did the same, all the while consuming a rather large glass of wine, as was typical.

When the meal came to a close, Quinn dutifully got up to clear the table as she normally did. She went to pick up her father's empty plate first, but she moved too quickly and accidentally knocked over his scotch. Dread twisted in her stomach as she watched the brown liquid seep into the white table cloth.

With terrifying swiftness, her father was on his feet and grabbing at Quinn's right arm, forcing her to drop the plate, and pulling her away from the table. She cringed, knowing all to well what was coming.

"You stupid klutz!" he spat in her face before his open hand cracked across her cheek.

Tears sprung to her eyes, and she struggled to get out of his grip. Angry at her resistance, he tightened his hold on her before pushing her up the stairs and to her bedroom, all the while kicking at the backs of her legs to get her there faster.

When they finally reached her room, he shoved her down on the floor and removed his belt. Quinn knew the beating that was coming, but that didn't make it any less painful or terrifying. She covered her head with her arms as the first blow landed on her side.

"Look what you made me do! If you weren't so clumsy and disobedient, I wouldn't have to do this!" he yelled as the blows continued to rain down on her back, stomach, and thighs.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she cried, trying to placate him, despite knowing it was useless. "I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

Quinn sat in her car, engine idling as the radio played softly in the background, and let her eyes drift across the parking lot. The first bell of the day was at least an hour away, which meant the lot was still relatively empty except for the cars belonging to a few faculty members, football players, and cheerleaders. If Quinn looked beyond the parking lot, she could make out each team's respective morning practices out on the fields—both there early to prep for tonight's big game.

She considered going to watch the Cheerios practice to take her mind off of things. Girls twirling around in short skirts tended to do a pretty good job of that. And unlike a certain captain of the glee club, at least they appreciated Quinn's attentions.

With her destination settled, Quinn cut the engine and reached across to the passenger seat to grab her bag, wincing a bit at the movement. Thinking better of it, she left her bag where it was and slowly got out of her car, letting out a small groan as she did. Her back and her legs were killing her.

Usually she would stay home to recover on days like this—when her back and legs were covered in too many fresh welts and bruises—but since her father's hours at work had been cut back to four days a week, that meant she'd be stuck in the house with him all day. And that wasn't something she wanted to deal with if it could be avoided.

Which is why she forced herself to make the early trip to McKinley in the first place. School was her refuge because no one there knew what was going on in her home. And she preferred to keep it that way. So she would do whatever it took to push through her discomfort without letting on that she wasn't in top physical shape. Although lately, it was getting harder to do—the beatings were coming more frequently and were getting more severe—but she knew she had no one to blame for that but herself.

With no small amount of discomfort, Quinn walked around the other side of her car to retrieve her bag from the passenger seat. It was then that she realized going to watch the Cheerios wasn't the smartest thing to do right now. The walk to the practice field was too far, especially since it wasn't necessary.

_Library it is,_ she decided before heading toward the front doors of McKinley, hoping for an uneventful day.

* * *

Rachel arrived extra early to school in order to get in some additional singing practice before beginning her day, since her neighbors weren't too pleased when she did it at home. She couldn't understand why—her voice was exceptional—but after they had threatened her dads with a lawsuit, she decided to make use of the school's facilities.

As she walked through the parking lot, she noticed a lone student making their way into the school. Rachel realized that said student was Quinn. She still felt a little guilty about how she had blown up at the other girl yesterday, but she was hesitant to apologize, lest she make Quinn think she was interested. Because she wasn't, even if Quinn did have the nicest eyes she had ever seen—among other things.

Shaking her head of all thoughts of Quinn Fabray, Rachel headed toward the auditorium to work on her ballad for Invitationals.

* * *

Pleased with her morning rehearsal, Rachel headed toward her locker to gather the necessary books for her first few classes of the day. The sound of mocking laughter floating in her direction instinctively made her look up, only to see two of the school's biggest Neanderthals walking in her direction. A sense of dread overcame her at the sight.

"Finn dumping your ass was the first step in restoring order around here," Azimio said as he and Karofsky headed toward Rachel with Big Gulps in hand. "Now it's time for step two."

Despite having a reprieve from receiving slushie facials over the last two months, Rachel knew it was a matter of time before this would start happening again. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact of cold ice against her face.

It never came.

Instead, she heard the sound of wet slushie hitting against skin, followed by a decidedly feminine gasp and the howling laughter of Azimio and Karofsky.

Wondering what in the world was going on, Rachel hesitantly cracked her eyes open, only to see Quinn Fabray standing stock still in front of her, eyes closed, with cherry slushie dripping down her body. Rachel could only stare, too stunned to process what had just happened.

"Oh, look who's the dyke in shining armor," Karofsky said, prompting another round of laughter from Azimio and drawing a crowd of onlookers.

The insult snapped Rachel out of her shock and filled her with outrage. Having two gay dads—one Jewish and one black—she had heard her fair share of slurs growing up, and she could not in good conscience just stand by. She owed Quinn at least that much for taking a slushie for her.

But before she could threaten the hockey player with the ACLU, Quinn had wiped the chunks of ice from her eyes and glared at the boy. "What did you say?" she asked.

"You heard me," Karofsky shot back, leaning down to get into her face as if daring her to do something about it. "Dyke."

Quinn smirked. "You're pathetic. You just can't deal with the fact that I'm more of a stud than you'll ever be."

Karofsky's face hardened in anger. Without warning, he grabbed Quinn by the front of her shirt and shoved her up against the lockers, causing the blonde to hiss in pain as her back crashed into metal.

"Unhand her this instant!" Rachel exclaimed, unable to stand idly by any longer, even if Karofsky and Azimio did scare her a little bit. They obviously had no problem lifting their hand against a girl.

"Or what?" he asked, turning to look at her, his eyes filled with mirth.

Rachel stood her ground, but out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Quinn still hadn't totally recovered from being pushed into the lockers—Rachel thought she might have been wincing a bit, but it was hard to tell with the slushie dripping down her face.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, manhands?" Azimio asked as he stepped closer to her, and she forced herself not to step back.

"I'll have you know that my dads have a very close relationship with our local branch of the ACLU!" she declared, and not a second later, Quinn kneed Karofsky—hard.

Immediately, the jock released his grip on her as he doubled over in pain, protectively covering himself. A few snickers could be heard from the students who were watching.

The warning bell rang then, but no one made a move to go to class.

"Wrong move, Fabray," Azimio said, turning his attention to Quinn, who now wore her signature cocky grin.

"Since you're so hell-bent on the 'natural order' of this school," she retorted, "let me remind you who my best friends are."

He faltered then, his bravado fading. He shook his head, bringing his attention to Karofsky, who was now standing a little more upright. "Come on, man. We've wasted enough time with these bitches."

Rachel huffed in irritation as she watched the two of them walk away. With the confrontation over, the hallway sprung back to life, breaking Rachel's current thoughts of calling the ACLU. She turned to look at Quinn, only to find that the girl was gone.

She sighed, wondering if she should go find Quinn now or just wait until lunch. _This is stupid,_ Rachel realized. _If it was anyone else, I wouldn't hesitate to show my gratitude. Just because she's been pestering me this entire week to go out with her, that doesn't mean I shouldn't extend her that same courtesy. And she took a slushie for me. That's kind of a big deal._

Ignoring the bell signaling the start of first period, Rachel instead followed the trail of cherry corn syrup.

* * *

_So much for an uneventful day,_ Quinn thought as she stood in front of a sink in the girls' bathroom, wiping her eyes with a wet paper towel. _I never realized how much this stuff stings when it gets in your eyes._

Quinn shivered, a chill settling over her body from the slushie. She grabbed some more paper towels and began to wipe off the chunks of ice that covered her, careful not to move too quickly and agitate her injured back further, which hadn't been helped by her earlier encounter against the lockers.

She knew that Karofsky and Azimio were pigs—they were the school's biggest bullies—but Quinn honestly hadn't thought they would ever lay a hand on her. It was a little too much like home, and that was something Quinn never wanted school to be. She definitely would have a word with Puck and Santana later.

She didn't regret having taken the slushie though. When she had seen the two jocks walking toward Rachel with Big Gulps in hand, she didn't think twice about stepping in the line of fire. She smiled a bit at the memory of Rachel's stunned reaction and her later attempt at sticking up for her. That's one of the things she really liked about the girl—she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in and what she thought was right.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open, and Quinn looked over to see Rachel coming toward her, stopping at the sink beside her.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked.

"I'm fine," Quinn played it off with a half smile before turning her attention back to removing the cherry syrup on her face with a wet paper towel.

"Are you sure? It looked like you hit those lockers pretty hard."

"I was just surprised is all."

Rachel nodded. "I want to thank you. Despite what has transpired over the last week, I'm grateful for what you just did for me."

"Don't worry about it," Quinn said as she went to work on wringing out her hair and running water through it.

An awkward silence fell between them then. After what happened yesterday, Quinn didn't feel like unintentionally making Rachel storm off, so she held her tongue. Rachel was uncharacteristically quiet, and Quinn imagined she was probably trying to decide whether or not she should stay.

"I also want to apologize for yelling at you yesterday," Rachel finally said, taking Quinn by surprise. "I may not like your methods of attempted courtship, but that doesn't mean I should have blown up at you like I did. I reacted too harshly."

"It's alright," Quinn said with a small shrug, but inwardly, she was relieved that the brunette wasn't mad at her anymore. She was tempted to tell Rachel what she was really going to say to her yesterday, but she wasn't really in the state of mind to do it properly. With the way her day was going, it would probably come across as another pick up attempt, and then she'd be back at square one.

"So are you planning on going to class?" she asked, trying to keep things light.

"I guess I should, but it would be irresponsible of me as captain to abandon you in your time of need."

Quinn couldn't help but grin at Rachel's dramatic flair. "Right. Well, I think I can take it from here. I need to make a trip to the locker room to change out of these anyway," she said gesturing at her ruined shirt and jeans as she turned to face Rachel.

The other girl gasped as the left side of Quinn's face came into view. "What happened to your face?" Rachel asked, her brown eyes filled with concern.

Quinn eyed her curiously. "I got hit by a slushie, remember?"

Rachel shook her head. "That's not what I meant. You have a bruise."

Quinn's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, realizing that in the process of removing the slushie, she must have also removed the cover up she used to hide the mark left behind by her father's hand. "Oh that. I misplayed a ball during soccer practice yesterday, and it hit me in the face." The lie spilled easily from her lips.

Rachel didn't look entirely convinced, but thankfully she didn't push it.

"As much as I'd love to spend my day with you," she said, unable to keep the flirtatious tone out of her voice entirely, "I really need to change out of these clothes. I'll see you in glee."

Before Rachel could reply, Quinn brushed past her and headed out the door.

* * *

Just like yesterday, Rachel found herself staring after Quinn's retreating form feeling a sense of confusion. She couldn't help but notice how stiffly the other girl was walking. She furrowed her brow in thought as she tried to process everything that had happened this morning.

Quinn had been incredibly chivalrous in the hallway and remarkably well behaved in the bathroom just now—and Rachel had to privately admit that she actually quite liked Quinn when the girl wasn't hitting on her—but of course she had been unable to keep herself reigned in completely. However, this time Quinn's flirtation barely registered with Rachel, because her sixth sense told her there was something else going on.

Her mind started piecing things together: Quinn arriving extra early to school, her reaction to being shoved up against the lockers, the stiff walk, and the bruise on her face.

Something about Quinn's answer regarding that last item hadn't felt quite right to her. Granted, getting hit with a soccer ball was certainly plausible—she did play after all. But Rachel had caught the way Quinn's eyes had widened, and she was certain she detected a sliver of fear in them.

It was possible she was just imagining things, and making too much out of nothing as she was wont to do. Still, the nagging feeling that something was wrong wouldn't leave her. She couldn't in good conscience let it go until she was absolutely sure.

* * *

"I think you're taking the meaning of casual Fridays a little too literally, Q," Santana commented with no small amount of distaste as Quinn, now donned in McKinley sweatpants and a hoodie, joined her and Brittany at their lunch table.

"Yeah, well, when you get two slushie facials at once, you do what you have to do," she replied, slowly easing her way into her chair.

Santana's expression instantly hardened. "What happened?"

Quinn couldn't help but smile at her friend's protectiveness. If someone had targeted her with a slushie on Santana's watch, there would be hell to pay. "Azimio and Karofsky."

A look of contempt overtook her features. "It'll be taken care of."

"Thanks. And Santana?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure they leave Rachel alone too."

Santana rolled her eyes in affectionate disgust. "Fine."

Quinn smiled at her in thanks. It went without saying that she was glad she had Santana Lopez in her corner.

* * *

When Rachel arrived in the choir room for glee after school, she found that half the club was missing. Puck, Finn, Mike, Matt, and Kurt were all at their mandatory football practice, and Santana and Brittany were at Cheerios practice, leaving just Mercedes, Tina, Artie, and herself. Quinn was conspicuously absent.

"Do any of you know where Quinn is?" Rachel asked as they waited for Mr. Schuester to arrive.

Mercedes eyed her curiously. "Yeah, she already left. She said she wanted to get a head start on her weekend. Why, did you change your mind about wanting to go out with her tonight?" she asked playfully.

"No," Rachel replied somewhat defensively before softening. "I'm just worried about her."

"Why would you be worried?" Tina asked. "You know Azimio and Karofsky won't mess with her again now that they're on Santana's radar."

"It's not them I'm worried about. I don't know, something just seemed off today." Rachel didn't know how to explain it.

"She did seem a little tired today," Artie commented, and Rachel hoped that was it.

"Okay, guys," Mr. Schuester's voice cut in as he entered the room, grabbing everyone's attention. "Since most of the club isn't here today, I thought we could have a little jam session."

"Sounds great, Mr. Schue!" Mercedes exclaimed, and the rest of the kids eagerly agreed.

* * *

Quinn was exhausted and hurting and all she wanted to do was lie down. Going to glee club was out of the question. She couldn't handle singing _and_ dancing after being in school all day.

Of course going home wasn't the greatest option, so she settled on the one place where she was sure she would be left alone—the backseat of her car. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep, finally giving her body a much needed rest.

* * *

Rachel hummed the notes to "Gives You Hell" to herself as she walked through the mostly empty parking lot and toward her car. Nearly everyone had left by now, but Rachel knew the lot would be full again in a few hours for the football game, despite how bad their team was. She figured most of them went to see the Cheerios anyway.

As she walked, she spotted Quinn's car still parked in the space it had occupied since early this morning. _That's odd,_ Rachel thought. _I thought Mercedes said Quinn had left already._

Curious, she walked over and peered inside the vehicle. She saw Quinn curled up on the backseat using her sweatshirt as a makeshift pillow. _I guess Artie was right. She was probably just tired. Still, it's probably not the safest thing for her to be sleeping in her car._

She was about to knock on the window to wake Quinn up when she noticed that the girl's shirt had ridden up quite a bit in her sleep.

Rachel could clearly see patterns of fading bruises and fresh welts on Quinn's exposed skin, and Rachel felt her stomach drop at the sight. There was no mistaking what had caused them, and suddenly everything clicked into place.

_Oh, God. Someone beat her._

Without hesitation, she banged her fist on the window, causing Quinn's body to jerk awake. Rachel noticed the girl grimace before opening her eyes to see what the disturbance was.

Quinn looked up through the window, confusion showing in hazel eyes.

"Can you unlock the door?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded, slowly pushing herself up to sit, wincing a bit as she did so. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt, pulling it down and hiding the angry marks from the rest of the world—a flash of embarrassment crossing her face. Quinn then popped the lock on the door, and Rachel immediately swung the door open.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked.

"Not at all," Quinn said, easing herself over to give Rachel some room, and Rachel could only watch as the expression on Quinn's face changed to one she was now very familiar with—cool confidence.

A million questions were running through Rachel's mind as she looked intently at Quinn—trying to decipher what was behind those hazel eyes—but only one came out. "What happened to your back?" she asked bluntly.

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she evenly replied, "Just got a little banged up during my last soccer game. It's no big deal."

"Quinn, I might not know a lot about sports, but I know you don't get those kinds of injuries from soccer."

She didn't respond, instead choosing to look out the window.

"Is everything okay at home?"

"Everything's fine." Quinn's voice was completely calm, giving off no indication that anything was wrong. "I told you, it's no big deal."

"Quinn…"

"How was glee practice?" she asked, looking back at Rachel.

"Don't change the subject."

Quinn sighed, resting her head back against the seat and closing her eyes, leaving Rachel to wonder what the other girl was thinking and what she should say next.

"Do you want to go to the football game with me tonight?" Rachel asked after a moment, figuring it was a good compromise. It wasn't really a date, they'd be at a school function, and, most importantly, Quinn wouldn't be in a situation where she would be getting hurt, at least for a little while.

Quinn opened her eyes then, looking at Rachel and raising a questioning eyebrow. "Are you saying you actually want to go on date with me?" she asked playfully.

"No, not a date," Rachel clarified, her tone firm. "Just an outing to help us get to know each other a little better."

"An outing?" Quinn replied with an amused smile. "I'll take it."

Now the trick was getting Quinn to open up.


	3. Chapter 3

The moment Quinn agreed to spend her evening with Rachel, her defenses unconsciously fell firmly into place. She didn't want to acknowledge to herself why Rachel had really asked her to the game. She didn't want to think about the fact that Rachel had seen what she wasn't meant to see, and that she didn't appear to believe Quinn's excuses—the ones that had worked on everyone else who had ever heard them. She didn't want the girl to know just how much of a screw up she really was.

Instead, she forced herself to focus on the fact that she was going to spend the evening with the girl she had been crushing on for over a month, even if it wasn't in the way she would have preferred. After being consistently rejected over the past week, this "outing" was more than she could have hoped for.

"So, we have nearly three hours until the game starts," Rachel said. "I propose we get something to eat before then."

"Sounds good to me," Quinn agreed before glancing down at the sweats she was still wearing and frowning. "But I'd like to freshen up first. How about I go home and change, then I'll pick you up at your house in an hour?"

Rachel bit her lower lip as her brow furrowed slightly. "Why don't I just go with you to your house?"

"Can't get enough of me, can you?" she replied smugly, sidestepping the suggestion. She could tell Rachel was up to something, and despite knowing how Rachel felt about her "attitude" as Santana had put it, Quinn couldn't help herself.

Rachel rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a knowing smile on her face. "You wish."

"Yeah, I do," she agreed. "But can you blame me?"

To Quinn's pleasant surprise, Rachel actually grinned, her brown eyes twinkling. "I suppose not."

"And you say I'm cocky," Quinn said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not the one who thinks she's God gift to women," Rachel retorted, but unlike their earlier encounters, she maintained her good humor.

"I don't think that," she smirked. "I know that."

Rachel smacked her forehead with her palm and groaned. "Really, Quinn?"

Quinn laughed at her reaction, trying to ignore the discomfort that wracked her body at the movement. She wasn't entirely successful, and was unable to keep from grimacing as her laughter subsided.

Unfortunately, Rachel noticed, and her expression immediately turned to one of concern. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She really needed to get Rachel to leave it alone. "We should probably get going."

Rachel's brow was furrowed again in thought as she nodded her agreement. "I'm not exactly sure where you live, so I'll have to follow you back to your house."

"Okay," she agreed before realizing that Rachel had managed to work her way around Quinn's evasiveness to her initial suggestion—leaving her to wonder just what Rachel was up to.

She was distracted from those thoughts by the sight of Rachel climbing out of her car. Quinn bit her lower lip as she watched the girl go, appreciating, not for the first time, the girl's tendency to wear ridiculously short skirts. _I hope that's not the last time I have her in the backseat of my car._

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Quinn carefully exited the vehicle where Rachel stood looking at her expectantly.

"I'll be right behind you," Rachel informed her. "Don't drive too fast." And with that she turned to head to her car.

As Rachel walked across the parking lot, Quinn took another long look at the girl's retreating form. Despite her diminutive size, Rachel's legs seemed to go on forever. She watched Rachel climb into her blue Toyota Corolla before getting behind the wheel of her own car and starting it up. The clock on her dashboard read 4:30. She knew that her mother was definitely still at work, and her father was most likely home.

Shifting her car into drive, Quinn made sure that Rachel was behind her before maneuvering through the parking lot and out onto the road. As she drove, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking about the reality of what was happening—Rachel Berry was coming to her house.

In all honesty, she wasn't sure it was a good idea for Rachel to come with her. She rarely brought anyone to her house—and usually then it was when she was sure her father wasn't around—but she didn't want to give Rachel any reason to further question her home situation. _"If she thinks that everything's fine, then she'll leave it alone, right?_"

* * *

As Rachel followed Quinn's car through the streets of Lima, she thought about what she was doing. She realized that if she was going to get Quinn to open up, she herself had to be open to Quinn. But that didn't mean she wasn't above maneuvering outside of Quinn's comfort zone. She knew the soccer player didn't really want her to come to her house, which had made her even more determined to do so. Something was wrong with Quinn, and she suspected it was happening at home. She wanted to help, and if Quinn wouldn't tell her who was hurting her, she would figure it one way or another. Rachel wasn't exactly known for showing patience, and this was important. No matter what her personal feelings toward Quinn were, she didn't deserve to be hurt.

And really, for all of Quinn's cockiness, Rachel was beginning to realize that she was a good person. As much as she loved her own friends, she doubted any of them would take a slushie for her, and Quinn had done so without hesitation. So she hadn't really even minded when Quinn started acting a bit smug in the car. In fact, she was starting to suspect that there was more to it.

Seeing the bruises and welts on pale skin had changed everything. Rachel couldn't look at Quinn the same way as before knowing that they were there. Every interaction they ever had played back in Rachel's mind and were now tinged with the truth of what she was trying to keep hidden.

That led Rachel to wonder if anyone else knew—if Quinn had ever confided in Puck, Santana, or Brittany, or her friends on the soccer team, or even a past girlfriend. How could the girls not know?

In any event, she hoped that Quinn had at least confided in one of them, and in the meantime, she would do her part to help the other girl—even if she didn't appear to want it.

After several minutes on the road, Rachel saw Quinn pull into a driveway, so she brought her own car to park alongside the curb. She stepped out, and noticed another car parked in the driveway. As she walked over to the other girl, she wondered if anyone else was home, and if so, who.

When she finally reached Quinn's side, Rachel couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit tense.

"I'll only be a minute," Quinn told her. "You can wait out here for me."

"I have to use the restroom." Now that she was here, Rachel was determined to actually get inside.

Quinn seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then agreed. "Okay."

Rachel followed Quinn up her walkway and to the front door where she paused to ring the doorbell, causing Rachel to raise a questioning eyebrow.

As if knowing Rachel's unasked question, Quinn glanced over with a half smile and a shrug. "Forgot my keys this morning."

Seconds later, the front door swung open revealing a middle-aged man with short blonde hair, who Rachel could only assume was Quinn's father. He looked surprised for a moment as his blue eyes fell on his daughter and the shorter girl standing alongside her.

"Hi, Dad," Quinn said, her voice calm and steady as she looked between her father and the girl at her side. "This is Rachel. Rachel, this is my dad."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fabray," Rachel said with a polite smile as she held out her hand, even though she couldn't help but feel suspicious about this man.

"Likewise," he replied, taking her hand into his own. His grip was firm and his smile warm yet strained. "Come on in," he said as he let go of Rachel's hand and moved to the side to allow them entry.

"We'll only be here a few minutes," Quinn informed him as they crossed the threshold of the doorway. "I just need to change."

He stared at his daughter with an inscrutable expression, and Quinn averted her eyes to a spot on the wall to the left of her father's head. Rachel watched their interaction with equal parts fascination and trepidation. "Don't be out too late," he warned. "You have a game tomorrow morning."

"I know," Quinn replied. "I won't be out late, I promise."

"Good," he said with a curt nod before turning to look at Rachel and offering her another smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to finish up before the day is done, so I'll be going back to my office. It was nice to meet you, Rachel."

"You too, Mr. Fabray," she said before the man retreated further into the house.

Rachel turned to look at Quinn, who stared after her father with a slightly confused expression. Before she could ask about it, the taller girl looked over at her and said, "There's a bathroom upstairs you can use, Rachel."

She nodded and followed Quinn up the stairs. There were a few photos of the family adorning the walls of the hallway—a much younger Quinn with her father, mother, and an older sister. Nothing appeared to be recent.

"In here," Quinn said, pointing to a doorway. "My room's across the hall. You can meet me in there when you're done."

Thanking Quinn, Rachel stepped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She moved over to the sink and washed her hands, allowing Quinn time to change out of her sweats as well as give herself time to think about what had just happened downstairs.

Frankly, Rachel wasn't sure she liked Quinn's dad, although she admittedly didn't have much to go on. First impressions were important, and he hadn't necessarily made a bad one. He had certainly been friendly enough to her, but something about Quinn's interaction with him had felt strained.

Rachel couldn't help but notice the difference in Quinn's demeanor during the short time they were in her house—she didn't carry herself with the same sense of ease as she did at school. When Quinn had spoken to her father, there wasn't a trace of that cockiness Rachel was so used to seeing. Granted, people tended to act differently at home than in school, but for Rachel it was the opposite. She was most comfortable at home, interacting freely with her fathers because she didn't have to worry about what they would think—they loved her unconditionally.

Not to say that Mr. Fabray didn't love his daughter. For all Rachel knew, he might have never laid a hand on her, and it actually was her mother who hurt her. Or someone else. Still, her sixth sense told her not to rule the man out.

* * *

Finally out of her sweats and now clad in a pair of jeans and a long sleeved red t-shirt, Quinn settled into the passenger seat of Rachel's car. Having Rachel meet her father had been nothing short of nerve-wracking, and she was glad to be out of the house again. She hoped that Rachel would leave things well enough alone now, and they could just have a good time.

"So, where do you want to go for dinner?" Quinn asked Rachel as the girl started up her car.

"Well, there's always Breadstix," she replied, turning on her iPod before pulling away from the curb. The sounds of some Broadway musical soundtrack soon filled the car, although Quinn wasn't sure which one. It wasn't really her kind of music, but it was alright to perform in glee club.

"Wherever you want to go. I learned my lesson about being presumptuous," she said with a smirk.

Rachel looked like she was about to say something serious in response, so Quinn decided to nip that in the bud. "What are we listening to?"

Rachel looked positively appalled at Quinn's ignorance before informing her that they were listening to the original Broadway cast recording of _Wicked_. Quinn smiled to herself as she listened to Rachel ramble on about the amazingness that was Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, and how Mr. Schuester would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to have Rachel perform a solo of "Defying Gravity" at Sectionals. They hadn't even gotten past Invitationals yet, but already she was focused on future setlists.

By the time Rachel finished her lengthy diatribe, they arrived at the restaurant. The place was beginning to fill up with the dinner crowd, but they were fortunately able to get a table right away.

The conversation over dinner was surprisingly easy. Rachel liked to talk—a lot—but there was an undercurrent of concern in her brown eyes every time she looked at Quinn now. It both warmed her and worried her. It felt good to know that Rachel cared, especially considering how much she liked her, but it also meant that she hadn't successfully convinced Rachel that she was fine. Fortunately, the subject of conversation had been kept light.

"So why did you decide to join glee club?" Rachel asked.

"Puck wanted to go for it. He always claimed he was a rock star," she said with a roll of her eyes. "And for some reason, Brittany and Santana signed up. So I figured it was something I could do with them, since our extracurricular activities don't exactly match up otherwise." _And it's another thing that will keep me out of the house more._ "I'm glad I joined though. I like being in glee more than I thought I would."

"I'm glad you decided to join too," Rachel said with a smile. "You're actually a good singer, Quinn—occasionally sharp, but that's only because you lack my years of training."

Quinn smirked at the odd compliment, but when it came to singing that was about as good as she would ever get from Rachel. "You remember when you blew up at me in the hallway yesterday?"

"Yes, how could I forget?" Rachel replied, looking apologetic.

"I realized that my voice could use some work, and I was actually going to ask you if you would help me with the harmonies for 'Somebody to Love.' Who else to go to than the person with the best voice in all of Lima?"

Rachel groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "I'm such a jerk."

Quinn laughed, this time successfully ignoring the discomfort that came with the movement. "No you aren't."

"I really am sorry."

"It's fine," she shrugged. "I kind of deserved it."

"No, you didn't." Rachel was adamant.

Quinn ignored her protest. "So will you help me?"

"Of course! I would be more than happy to give you singing lessons."

Quinn smiled, glad that she had finally been able to ask Rachel that question and had gotten the response she had hoped for.

* * *

As predicted, the Titans were awful. The visiting team was running up the score, and Rachel lost track of how many times Finn had been knocked down.

"If they just had a decent offensive line, Puck could actually get somewhere with the ball," Quinn complained as she watched the boy run into a wall of bodies before getting pounded into the turf.

"You know, for as many of these things I've gone to, I still have no idea what's going on," Rachel admitted, somewhat frustrated.

Quinn smiled sympathetically at her. "I can explain it if you want."

"It's no use," she shook her head. "No matter how many times Finn has tried to explain football to me, I just don't get it."

"Do you want to do something else?" Quinn asked.

She did, but she wasn't sure that would reflect well on her. "We should be supportive of all our teammates in their other endeavors."

"We should," she agreed with a smile, looking over at the Cheerios.

Rachel followed Quinn's line of sight, and Brittany smiled and waved at them both when she noticed them looking. Rachel and Quinn both waved back at her, while Santana just rolled her eyes at them.

Quinn's attention quickly went back to the football game, but Rachel let her gaze linger a little longer on the cheerleaders. She noticed that a few Cheerios were casting dark looks in her direction, and Rachel realized they were jealous. It was an odd feeling to say the least, so she opted to go back to watching the Titans get crushed.

* * *

The night was coming to a close, and Rachel was surprised by how much fun she had with Quinn and how comfortable she was talking with the other girl. What started out as helping a teammate and fellow human being in her time of need was turning into—well, Rachel wasn't exactly sure what it was turning into.

"I had a really good time tonight, Rachel," Quinn said as she pulled into the other girl's driveway. "Thanks for taking me out. Think we can do it again sometime?"

"Definitely," Rachel said with a nod. "And, of course, there are your voice lessons. We need to work out a schedule for that." She smiled at Quinn before continuing, "And I have to admit, I had fun tonight too."

"See, I'm not so bad," she said with a wink.

"No, you're not," Rachel agreed, taking a slightly more serious tone. "Quinn, I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk, I'm all ears."

"Thanks," Quinn said after a pause. "But I'm fine. Really." She smiled then, and Rachel couldn't help but think it was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Despite being worn out from the long day, Quinn was happy. She didn't think she had ever enjoyed just being with another person as much as she did Rachel. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she actually got to go on a date with the other girl if simply hanging out with the singer made her feel like this.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the fall of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and Quinn looked up to see her father standing in the doorway of her bedroom. To say that he was angry would have been an understatement.

"You think I don't know what you were doing this afternoon? Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?"

Quinn looked at her father warily. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She really didn't. _What did I do wrong this time?_

Within seconds, he was across the room. She flinched as his hands grabbed her upper arms in a painful grip. Shaking her, he got in her face. "Don't play stupid with me."

"I'm not."

"And don't talk back to me!" he yelled, his anger jumping up a notch. A hard slap to the face followed, and Quinn gritted her teeth to keep from making a sound. "You know damn well what you did. You brought that friend of yours over to try to make me look bad."

"What?" she asked incredulously, too confused to remember her father's directive to not talk back.

His face twisted in fury as he fisted his hands into the front of her shirt and slammed her back into the wall, eliciting a sharp cry. "You think you're better than me. You're not," he seethed, bringing his hands to her neck and cutting off the flow of air.

Panic began to build up inside Quinn's chest as she struggled to breathe. Instinctively, she grabbed at his wrists to try and pry his hands away. This only served to make him angrier, and he shoved her back into the wall again, tightening his grip. She stared at him in wide-eyed fear, praying to God that he would let go.

"You are not better than me," he hissed before releasing his death grip on her throat. After delivering one more hard push into the wall, he turned to leave.

Quinn slumped down to her hands and knees as she gasped for breath. It wasn't the first time her father had done something like that, but it still scared the hell out her every time. And just like all the other times that came before, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.


	4. Chapter 4

"Morning, hon," Rachel's father Leroy greeted her in the kitchen where he was reading the newspaper while sipping on a cup of coffee. "Did you have a good time last night?"

"Morning, Daddy," she replied, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot. "I had a surprisingly enjoyable evening."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a smile as she sat down across the table from him. "Although, I was surprised to get your text saying that you were going to the football game. Are you and Finn back together?"

"No, Daddy, not even close," she shook her head. "Not that I don't want to show my support for my fellow glee clubbers, but he wasn't why I went."

"So then who did you go with?" he asked curiously.

"Quinn."

He looked at her in surprise. "Quinn, as in the Quinn who's been asking you out all week?"

"The same," she admitted a bit sheepishly.

There was a twinkle in his eye. "You were pretty adamant about never going out with her."

"It wasn't a date!" she insisted. "And, well, some things happened yesterday that made me see her in a different light. She's actually quite chivalrous, and she even admitted that she needed my assistance with her vocals for glee club. Of course I agreed to help her." She sighed and frowned then as she thought of why she had first asked Quinn to the game in the first place.

"What's wrong, Rachel?" Leroy asked, noticing his daughter's distress.

"I found Quinn sleeping in her car after school yesterday, and her shirt was kind of lifted up." She closed her eyes, remembering the marks that marred the other girl's body and the fear she had felt at the sight of them. "It looked like she had been beaten up, but she insisted that it came from playing soccer when I confronted her about it."

"Confronting her might not have been the best idea," he said.

Rachel bit her lower lip. "I realize that now. I reacted too hastily. I was just scared for her and wanted to fix it right away, and the only way to fix something is to know what the exact problem is, you know?"

"I know. And it's good that you want to help her, Rachel, but be careful about jumping to conclusions. It's possible that her injuries really did come from soccer."

"I don't think so," she said with a shake of her head. "Daddy, I saw welts on her back."

Leroy looked horrified at that piece of information. "Maybe you should mention this to the school guidance counselor."

Rachel thought of their counselor, Miss Pillsbury. She admittedly hadn't had much one-on-one time with the woman, but she seemed like she cared a lot about the students at McKinley. And more importantly, she seemed like someone trustworthy.

"But if Quinn won't admit that anything is wrong, what can Miss Pillsbury really do?"

"I don't know, Rachel, but I'm sure she'll have an idea. I hate to say it, but it probably wouldn't be the first time a faculty member encountered this."

Rachel felt a wave of sadness, realizing that it was unfortunately true. Perhaps her daddy was right—she should probably tell someone like Miss Pillsbury what she suspected. But then she remembered how Quinn's walls had fallen into place when Rachel tried to find out what was really going on. If Quinn wouldn't admit anything to the girl she wanted to date, why would she admit anything to a woman who she didn't know at all?

"She'll probably deny it, just like she did with me," Rachel said with a sigh. "I just wish I knew how to help her. She won't admit that anything is wrong."

"She's probably ashamed to admit it."

"Quinn is the epitome of self-confidence, Daddy," Rachel argued. Despite the fact that she was beginning to suspect that some of the blonde's cockiness was a bit of a put on, she didn't for one second think that the girl would be ashamed.

"People have all kinds of ways they cope," he said.

She frowned then, feeling even worse for Quinn as she realized this was a very real possibility. A small part of her was impressed by the girl's resiliency, but Rachel knew she shouldn't have to go through this alone. And again, she wondered if any of her close friends knew. Maybe there was some way she could figure it out without being too conspicuous.

But most important was doing what she could. Some research was in order to make sure she did it right.

* * *

Quinn finished applying the last of the cover up to the finger-shaped bruises on her neck before inspecting herself one more time in the mirror. Her throat hurt like hell and her back and legs were still sore, but anyone bothering to look would have no clue. She looked every inch the star soccer player in her red and black McKinley Titans uniform.

She opened the medicine cabinet then and took out the bottle of Aleve that sat on the middle shelf. Pouring out four pills from the bottle, she popped them into her mouth and followed it with a swig of water.

After grabbing her gym bag, Quinn then went downstairs, where her parents were in the kitchen eating breakfast. She cast a quick glance at her father, who pointedly ignored her. Quinn felt a mixture of relief and rejection. She was glad that his ire wasn't directed at her, but it kind of hurt to not be acknowledged at all.

She then looked over at her mother, who actually spared a glance a quick smile at her—as if nothing was wrong. Quinn hated that her mom would just pretend that everything was okay, when it clearly wasn't. But again, she knew that was her own fault. And really, she couldn't blame her mother when she did the same exact thing every single day at school.

With an inaudible sigh, Quinn grabbed a protein bar from the pantry and then filled her water bottle at the sink. When that was done, she turned to face the kitchen table. "Are you coming to the game or should I just drive myself?" she asked her parents, kind of hoping that they'd come but also hoping that they wouldn't.

Her father looked up at her then, a dark expression on his face. Quinn immediately looked down, tensing. _Great, he's still mad at me._

"Not today," her mother said then, and Quinn looked up to see her father's dark eyes now on the older woman. "You go on ahead."

Quinn nodded and turned to leave.

As she closed the front door behind her, she let out a long breath. On mornings like this, she often felt conflicted—wanting to run and get away from everything, but also feeling guilty for leaving her mother alone with her father. While Quinn had never seen her father raise a hand against her, she wasn't sure it didn't happen. After all, she herself was quite adept at hiding the truth from other people.

Quinn didn't understand why she wanted so badly for her father to be happy with her, when it was obvious nothing she ever did was good enough for him. But, God, she wished so much that she would be worthy of his love. If only…

A ringing sound from her gym bag went off as she got into her car. Quinn grabbed her cell phone and flipped it open. A grin broke out on her face when she saw that Rachel had sent her a text, all thoughts of this morning's unpleasantness gone.

**What time is your game?**

Quinn punched in her response. **10. Why?**

**I wanted to come but it seems I have a scheduling conflict. :( Have any plans for after?**

She was pleasantly surprised at Rachel's eagerness to get together. She couldn't stop her mind from thinking about when, not if, she would get Rachel to go on a date with her. She had her opening, and she wasn't going to screw it up again.

**Nope, what did you have in mind?**

Truthfully, she usually got lunch with her teammates, but Quinn would gladly blow that off if it meant spending time with Rachel.

**Lunch and then we can work out a schedule for your voice lessons.**

**Sounds great. I'll be done around noon.**

**Perfect. Meet me at my house. :)**

**See ya. ;)**

Quinn couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she dropped her phone back into her bag. _I've got it bad,_ she thought as she pulled out of her driveway.

It was strange, letting Rachel call all the shots. Normally, Quinn took the lead, but she had to remind herself that it wasn't a date, so the circumstances were different. Rachel was different from the other girls she had been with anyway—and Quinn liked her more than she had any of them—so she was willing to do things Rachel's way and hoped there would be some payout.

* * *

Quinn was sitting alone on the sidelines lacing up her cleats when the voice of the team's striker and captain sounded behind her. "Hey, Quinn."

"Hey, Spencer," she replied as the girl sat down next to her in the grass.

The two of them almost always arrived earlier than everyone else, including Coach Castle, and Quinn enjoyed the easy rapport she had with the older girl. In a way, she reminded Quinn a bit of her sister, Frannie, who left Lima as soon as she graduated high school and never looked back.

"So, I saw you at the game last night with Berry. That was different. Don't you usually like to wine and dine 'em?"

"It's what she wanted to do," she explained with a shrug, unable to keep the smile off her face as she thought of Rachel. "I've learned not to argue with my captains."

"Took you long enough," Spencer teased good-naturedly. "I just hope she didn't tire you out last night. We need you to kick ass on the field today."

Quinn smirked. "I'm not the one who gets tired out."

Spencer laughed. "Whatever you say, stud."

* * *

Rachel returned home from her dance class shortly after 11 and after a quick shower and changing into a black skirt and a purple blouse, she found herself anxiously waiting in her living room for Quinn to come pick her up.

During her research, she found that one of her initial instincts was correct—inviting Quinn out had kept her away from whoever was hurting her. So that was something she would continue to do. But part of her had to admit that she actually did want to see Quinn for more than that reason alone—that she wasn't doing this simply out of pity.

She really had enjoyed her evening with Quinn last night, and she found herself looking forward to seeing her again, much to her own surprise.

The doorbell rang, signaling the girl's arrival. Rachel sprung up from the couch and smoothed out her skirt as she went to open the door.

Standing before her was Quinn with her dazzling smile and sporting her typical jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt—this time black. Her blonde hair fell loosely down her shoulders, still damp from the shower.

"Hi," Rachel said with a smile.

"Hey," Quinn replied easily, her eyes giving her a subtle once over.

"Shall we get going?"

Quinn nodded and stepped back to allow Rachel room to exit and lock the door behind her before the two of them walked towards Quinn's car. As she followed Quinn down her walkway, she couldn't help but think about the bruises that were hidden beneath the girl's clothes and frowned.

"So any thoughts on where you'd like to go?" Quinn's question pulled her out of her thoughts.

Rachel blinked for a moment before replying, "How about Café Luna?"

"Sounds awesome. I love that place," she agreed as the two of them got into the car. Quinn started up the engine and then handed Rachel her iPod. "Pick something."

After a few moments of scrolling through Quinn's surprisingly extensive and varied music selection—although, sadly, there were no musicals—she settled on No Doubt. She figured something upbeat would do them both good.

"So how was your game?" Rachel asked once that was done.

"McKinley 2, Carmel 0," Quinn replied with a satisfied smile.

Rachel smiled in return. "Did you score a point?"

Quinn laughed. "They're called goals in soccer. And no, I didn't. I did have an assist though."

"Oh. That's good though right?"

"Yeah, that's good. So what were you doing this morning that kept you away from me?" Rachel didn't miss the flirtatious note in Quinn's voice and found that it really didn't bother her at all now.

"Dance class. When's your next game? Maybe I can make it to that one."

"It's Tuesday afternoon at 4."

"Perfect, I'll be there!"

Much like dinner the night before, the conversation over lunch was easy—mostly talking about glee and music. It took them a good while to finish their meal, as Rachel did more talking than eating, and Quinn took her time finishing her meal. She figured it was so they would finish up at the same time, which was very considerate of the girl.

But the one thing that struck Rachel was wonderment over how Quinn was able to sit there and act like nothing was wrong—like everything in her life was perfect. It was difficult for her to do the same—to go along with Quinn, pretending to accept that as truth. Normally, she was a woman of action.

"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked. There were so many things she wanted to ask Quinn, but most of them probably wouldn't get an answer right now. However, there was one thing she was really curious about which she figured Quinn would have no problem answering.

"Go for it."

"Do your parents know you're gay?"

"I'm not sure," Quinn replied with a shrug. "They've never asked, and I've never told them."

"They don't notice the girls?"

"I don't bring girls home. I haven't had a serious relationship before, actually. I just like to keep things fun usually." She looked at Rachel meaningfully. "But I'm capable of something serious. It just needs to be with someone special."

Rachel blushed and looked down, knowing full well that Quinn was talking about her. Even though Quinn had dated lots of girls, she believed her when she said that Rachel was special. In a way, it was flattering that out of all the girls at McKinley—Cheerios included—it was Rachel who Quinn wanted to be with. And after everything that had happened over the last two days, it was becoming harder to ignore her growing attraction for Quinn Fabray.

But mixed in with that attraction was worry and pity, and Rachel found it somewhat confusing.

Quinn's ringing cell phone distracted them momentarily, and Rachel looked over to see her pull it out of her bag and look at its display.

"Matt's having a party tonight," Quinn informed her. "Wanna go?"

"I'd love to," Rachel agreed, beaming. She couldn't help but still want to be acknowledged by the more popular contingent of McKinley's student body, which was a major reason she had been drawn to Finn in the first place. But she realized it was better to get that recognition based on her own merits than through whoever she was dating. Still, she reasoned it wouldn't hurt to show up on Quinn's arm.

* * *

The party was just getting under way when they arrived at Matt's house. The boy enthusiastically greeted both girls and showed them to the kitchen, where Puck was unloading his stash of alcohol on the counter.

When he saw Rachel had come with Quinn, he looked momentarily surprised before smirking knowingly at Quinn. "Hey, ladies," he said.

"Hello, Noah," Rachel replied.

"Hey, Puck," Quinn greeted him.

"Can I get either of you a drink?" Matt asked.

"You know you really shouldn't be drinking alcohol, as it will be detrimental to your voice, and we need all of your voices if glee is going to be successful," Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips.

Quinn smiled at Rachel in amusement as Puck scoffed. "Come on, Berry, one drink isn't going to ruin your singing career. Matt, I put those fruity drinks in the fridge."

Seconds later, Matt was pressing a wine cooler into Rachel's hands. She stared at it, a mixture disapproval and curiosity on her face.

"You don't have to drink that if you don't want, Rachel," Quinn said, reaching out to take the bottle from the girl's hand.

Rachel hesitated for a moment. "No, I suppose Noah is right. One drink won't hurt." She brought it up to her lips, taking an experimental sip. "You know, this isn't bad."

"Q, look what I got," Puck said, showing off a bottle of Jameson and pulling her attention away from Rachel.

Her eyes lit up. She wasn't really a big drinker, but there was something about whiskey that she enjoyed immensely. Puck poured them each a shot. Quinn knew he'd offer some to everyone else later, but this first drink was something that was just for them—sort of a weird ritual they had developed since they had discovered the water of the gods.

The liquid burned on the way down and settled in her stomach with a soothing warmth. It was her one drink for the night, and there was nothing else she would have preferred.

The house soon began filling up with people, and Quinn was glad it was mostly just Matt's close friends, who also happened to be her friends. She wasn't really in the mood to cross paths with jealous exes or Azimio and Karofsky—although, she knew there'd be no way Puck or Santana would allow either of them to stay.

"Be careful with those," Quinn warned Rachel as she began drinking her third wine cooler. "They taste good, but if you have too many of them, you'll regret it."

Before Rachel could reply, Brittany came by and grabbed Rachel's hand pulling her into the middle of the living room to dance with her and Mike.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Puck asked as they watched the three of them dance to "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love." "Are you trying to _not_ get laid?"

"I don't need alcohol to get girls into bed with me," Quinn shot back with a smirk.

Matt laughed.

"What is going on with you and Berry anyway?" Santana asked.

"Nothing yet, but I think she's coming around," Quinn replied honestly.

"It's about time," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It was getting kind of pathetic watching you get shot down so many times."

As the song came to a close, Rachel came back to Quinn's side. "I think I need some air. Will you accompany me outside?"

"Of course," she agreed, and the two of them made their way through the sliding glass doors that led to Matt's deck. Fortunately, it was currently unoccupied.

"Are you having a good time?" Quinn asked, resting her forearms on the railing, and Rachel mimicked her position as she stood beside her.

Rachel nodded, smiling as she leaned a little closer towards her. "A really good time. Thanks for inviting me."

Quinn smiled, wondering just how sober the other girl was right now. "You're welcome."

"I'm glad we're getting to know each other better, Quinn," Rachel said.

"So am I," she agreed.

"I have something I need to tell you," Rachel said then, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper causing Quinn to lean her head closer. "I think I like you."

"Yeah?" Quinn asked playfully, her heart soaring at Rachel's admission and praying that it wasn't just the alcohol talking.

Rachel nodded and looked at Quinn intently then, brown locking on hazel. Quinn felt her pulse quicken as the shorter girl lifted her hand to her face. The way Rachel was looking at her, Quinn was sure that Rachel was going to kiss her. She had to hold back with every fiber of her being, allowing Rachel to be the one to make the first move.

Just as Rachel leaned up, the back door opened causing loud music and raucous laughter to spill outside, completely ruining the moment. Rachel dropped her hand, and Quinn sighed, looking over to see three obnoxiously loud and probably drunk football players come through the door.

"Wanna get out of here?" Quinn asked.

Rachel nodded, following her back into the house where they said their goodbyes. Quinn once again gave Rachel control of her iPod when they got into the car.

It was probably for the best that they had been interrupted back at Matt's house, Quinn realized. Rachel wasn't necessarily drunk, but she wasn't really sober. Had it been anyone else, Quinn wouldn't have cared, but this was Rachel. Considering how much she liked her, she wanted to do things right, and an alcohol-infused first kiss was not it.

"Do you want to come in?" Rachel asked as Quinn pulled into her driveway.

"I need to get home," Quinn lied. She really wanted to come in, but now wasn't the time. She didn't want Rachel to do something she would regret, and honestly, she was beginning to feel worn down from the long day. There was only so much Aleve could do—her body needed to rest.

"Okay," Rachel said, not hiding her disappointment or her worry. She hesitated then, looking like she wanted to say something more before thinking better of it. "Walk me to the door at least?"

"Of course," Quinn replied with a smile, getting out of the car and walking around to open the passenger side door. She offered Rachel her arm, and the other girl smiled as she took it.

"Thank you for your company today. I enjoyed myself," Rachel said when they arrived at her door.

"It was my pleasure," Quinn replied with a soft smile.

"Text me when you get home so I know you got there okay."

"I will," Quinn promised. She leaned over then and kissed Rachel on the cheek. "Goodnight, Rachel," she said softly before pulling away and looking down at her.

"Goodnight, Quinn," she replied just as softly, her brown eyes filled with so much warmth, Quinn thought she would get lost in them.

With no small amount of reluctance, she turned and walked back to her car. She felt Rachel's eyes follow her and allowed herself to hope that this weekend was only the beginning of something amazing.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, hot mama," Mercedes greeted Rachel in the hallway. She could tell by the look in the girl's eyes that she was either looking for or about to dish out the latest gossip.

"Good morning, Mercedes," she replied pleasantly. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good. Spent it visiting my brother at OSU, otherwise I would have been at Matt's on Saturday. And a little bird told me you were there with Quinn."

Rachel was barely able to suppress her smile at the mention of the hazel-eyed girl.

"I also heard you went to the football game together on Friday—right after you insisted that you didn't want to go on a date with her," Mercedes said with a knowing smirk. "So, spill. What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing's going on," she said rather unconvincingly, even though it was the truth. "We're just spending time together as friends."

"Uh huh," Mercedes replied, clearly not believing a word of it.

"Okay, well, maybe I'm starting to like her."

"I knew it," she grinned.

"But nothing is going on," Rachel insisted.

"Whatever you say, Rach," Mercedes said with a laugh before continuing her walk down the hallway.

Rachel shook her head with a small smile and headed in the opposite direction toward her locker. _No, nothing's going on. Not yet at least._

She had spent a lot of time thinking about the past weekend and whatever it was that was building between her and Quinn. The girl had continued to surprise her. Not only did she find she enjoyed spending time with Quinn, but she had been quite the gentleman—for lack of a better word—on Saturday night.

In hindsight, she realized that her invitation to Quinn to come inside her house after the party sounded more suggestive than she'd meant it to. Not that she hadn't wanted to kiss Quinn, but she honestly wasn't ready for much more than that. But she didn't miss the fact that Quinn had declined her offer—not in rejection, but out of respect—and that made Rachel like her even more. She was disappointed that their night had come to an end.

But even more than disappointment was worry. Her invitation was meant to provide Quinn with some sort of safe haven. When they spent time together, Rachel didn't feel as worried about Quinn. If she could see her, she knew she wasn't being hurt by anybody. And really, more than anything, she wanted Quinn to know that she was there for her.

* * *

"So, did you and Berry do the dirty Saturday night?" Puck asked, waggling his eyebrows as he came up besides Quinn's locker.

"You're such a perv," she said with a roll of her eyes and a smirk. "Besides, I don't kiss and tell."

"Since when? Come on, Quinn. I'm your lesbro. You're, like, obligated to give me the details. You always do."

"Not this time," she replied. Even if something actually had happened between herself and Rachel, she wasn't going to tell Puck.

"You're no fun," he pouted.

Quinn chuckled and closed her locker door. "I'll see you later, Puck," she said before going off to the choir room.

"Later," he said, turning to walk down the hallway off to God knows where. He hardly ever actually went to class, and if it weren't for the fact that he was on the football team, he would have failed every one of those classes.

But that wasn't really Quinn's concern. Right now, she was looking forward getting to spend time with the girl who had been occupying so many of her thoughts lately.

It turned out they both had a free period at the same time, which neither of them had been aware of until recently. Quinn usually spent it in the library, and Rachel, to no one's surprise, spent it in the choir room. So Rachel had decided that it would be a perfect time for them to get together for voice lessons a few days a week.

When Quinn arrived, she saw Rachel sitting at the piano going through some scales. She smiled at the sight as she walked over to the piano. Rachel, having noticed her entrance, paused in her playing and let her hands fall into her lap.

"Hey, you," Quinn greeted her, leaning casually against the side of the piano.

"Hi," she replied with a shy smile. "How was the rest of your weekend?"

"Kind of boring," Quinn replied. She had spent most of Sunday catching up on much needed rest, and, fortunately, she had been left alone until dinner, which was relatively uneventful—pleasant, even. Her father had been in a generous mood, even going so far as to congratulate her on her team's win. "But that's to be expected. I got spoiled by spending so much time with you. Everything else pales in comparison."

Rachel blushed at that. If Quinn wasn't so absolutely smitten with her, she would have internally laughed—not only was Rachel no longer adverse to her flirtations, but they actually had the effect she wanted.

"So," Rachel finally said after she got her blushing under control. "Are you ready for your first voice lesson?"

Quinn smiled confidently in response and nodded. Rachel was known for her brutal honesty, especially when it came to people's musical—specifically vocal—talent, but Quinn was game.

Rachel instructed her to stand next to the piano and to stand tall. They went through a few scales to warm up Quinn's vocal chords. After that was done, Rachel played out the harmonies Quinn was singing on "Somebody to Love." Quinn began to sing the parts back to her, when Rachel suddenly interrupted.

"Try singing more from your diaphragm. It will help you project your voice more."

"My diaphragm?" Quinn asked, confused.

Rachel got up from the piano bench and stood in front of her. "Here," she said, gently placing her palm at the base of her rib cage, thumb lightly grazing over the center of her chest. Quinn practically melted at the contact, but managed to keep her composure.

She saw Rachel swallow thickly as she brought her eyes up to lock on Quinn's. Rachel unconsciously licked her upper lip, and it was like they were transported back to Matt's deck, picking up where they had been interrupted the other night. Rachel had that same look in her eyes—the one that said she wanted to kiss Quinn. And once again, Quinn let her make the first move.

Ever so slowly, Rachel leaned up and brushed her lips against Quinn's. Hazel eyes fluttered shut and warmth shot through her at the contact. She eagerly kissed Rachel in return, drawing her hands up to cup the shorter girl's face. Rachel mimicked the action, brushing her fingers against pale cheeks. Quinn ran her tongue lightly across Rachel's lower lip, tasting the vanilla lip gloss the other girl wore. Rachel murmured happily as she allowed Quinn to deepen the kiss.

Quinn let her fingers thread through soft, brown hair as her tongue explored Rachel's mouth. She let out a small groan at the taste and feel of the girl's tongue moving against hers. Caught up in the moment, Rachel's hands moved down and around to Quinn's shoulders in an attempt to draw herself further into the girl. Quinn stiffened slightly as Rachel's hands inadvertently pressed against the bruises on her upper back.

Rachel suddenly broke away and looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Quinn replied with a smirk, easily ignoring the discomfort that had come from Rachel's roaming hands. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd had to do that with a girl. "More than fine, actually," she added before diving in for another kiss.

She felt Rachel hesitate for a brief moment before kissing her back with as much fervor as before. But Rachel's touch was softer now—her fingertips ghosting over her back sent delicious shivers through her body.

They didn't stop kissing until the bell rang.

* * *

When Rachel arrived at glee rehearsal after school, she couldn't help but think about what had happened earlier in the day between her and Quinn in this very room. Even though they had gotten very little done in the way of vocal training, Rachel couldn't really complain. She had been wanting to kiss Quinn since Saturday night.

_And to think, just four days ago, I was spurning her advances. What a wild turn of events,_ Rachel thought as she took a seat in the front row, smiling as she spotted Quinn, Puck, Mercedes, Kurt, and Matt walk into the room, but her eyes were really only focused on one person.

Quinn took a seat beside her and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling back and taking Rachel's hand in her own.

"And what was that you said about nothing going on between you two?" Mercedes teased while Puck and Matt looked at the two of them with undisguised interest, causing Rachel to blush.

"Wait, wait," Tina exclaimed as she wheeled Artie into the room. "What did we miss?"

"Little miss 'I'll never date Quinn Fabray' was just kissing our resident stud," Kurt explained with a smirk.

"What?" Artie and Tina replied in confusion, looking at Rachel for an explanation.

"Hey, if anyone here is the resident stud, it's me!" Puck argued with Kurt as the remaining club members filed into the room.

The shorter boy rolled his eyes. "In your dreams."

"So wait, are you guys dating now?" Tina asked, and everyone in the room looked at her expectantly, particularly Finn, who had remained pretty much in the dark about the recent goings on.

_Are we dating?_ Rachel wondered. It hadn't been something she and Quinn had talked about. They had been a little too preoccupied with other activities to get around to it, but Rachel knew that Quinn wanted to date her—she had made no secret about that. And Rachel wasn't one to do things casually—she tended to fully immerse herself in everything she was serious about.

"Yes," she affirmed with a nod, glancing over at Quinn, who simply sat there looking smug as their glee mates—sans those at Matt's party on Saturday—tried to wrap their head around the sudden change in their relationship.

Rachel frowned slightly. Seeing that cocky expression on Quinn's face reminded her of the truth of the circumstances that led them to this point. She couldn't forget what lay hidden beneath Quinn's clothes and makeup and, most of all, that cocky smile. She felt the familiar pang of worry and sadness as she looked at her. She wanted so badly to press Quinn about what was really going on, but now wasn't the time or place.

Quinn turned her head then, oblivious to Rachel's inner thoughts. She lowered her mouth to Rachel's ear, distracting her from her worry. Warm breath washed over her skin, causing her to shiver. "You know this means you have to let me take you out now," she murmured before pulling back and looking at Rachel playfully—happiness shining in hazel eyes.

"Yes, but we still have to go where I say," she replied haughtily.

Quinn smiled indulgently and gave Rachel's hand a light squeeze. "Of course."

"Good," Rachel replied, gently squeezing Quinn's hand in return before turning her attention to Mr. Schuester, who was getting rehearsal underway.

Dating Quinn Fabray was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but Rachel couldn't deny that she was glad for it. Although, that happiness was somewhat tempered by the fact that despite her confidence and smiles, Quinn wasn't really okay. Rachel was still determined to get her to open up, one way or another.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn hissed in pain as she climbed out of bed and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Last night had been a bad night. There were too many bad nights lately.

With no small amount of discomfort, she shed herself of her clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would ease some of the ache in her muscles. Experimentally, she took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as she felt a sharp pain on the right side of her chest.

She looked down and took in the sight of deep purple bruises on her ribcage. She brought her fingertips to brush against them and very lightly pressed down. Pain shot through her side, and she instantly dropped her hand. _This is bad,_ she thought, unable to stop the bit of nervousness that began to creep in. It was different than other injuries she had suffered. She wondered if something was broken, because nothing had ever hurt quite this badly before.

Quinn briefly considered going to the doctor. She could just tell him that she fell—in fact, that would have been pretty close to the truth—but the thought of her father's reaction was enough to make her forget all about that idea. She'd just have to push through the pain like she always did.

But then there was soccer and glee. She seriously doubted her ability to play or dance with this particular injury, but damned if she wouldn't try. She just hoped that Aleve would help enough for her to get through it with minimal discomfort.

Quinn finished going through her morning routine, albeit a bit slower than she normally did. After downing four pain killers and applying a generous coating of cover up, she made her way downstairs. Her parents were already gone, filling her with sense of relief. It was one less thing to deal with as she ate a quick breakfast.

When she finally arrived at school, Rachel was waiting for Quinn at her locker. Just the sight of the girl made her feel a little bit better, and she couldn't help but smile at Rachel as she came along side her.

"Hey, beautiful," Quinn breathed as she leaned down to place a soft kiss on her girlfriend's lips. She felt Rachel's smile against her own lips at the term of endearment.

"Hi," Rachel replied when Quinn pulled away, looking up at her with concern. "I tried calling you, but you didn't pick up your phone at all last night."

"Sorry, I fell asleep early," Quinn lied, offering her an apologetic smile. She was all too aware of the fact that her girlfriend had tried to call her night before—she had heard her phone ringing but had been unable to answer.

"You look exhausted," Rachel said, taking a hold of Quinn's hands in hers, and she almost felt bad about lying to her.

Quinn shrugged. "I had a rough night's sleep even though I went to bed early." At least part of that statement was true.

Rachel nodded, but her look of worry didn't go away. Mixed in with that was a look that Quinn had seen before, but still wasn't quite sure what it meant. "Are we still meeting during free period today?"

"I wouldn't miss it," she replied with a smirk, remembering what usually happened between them in the choir room, causing Rachel to blush. Quinn didn't think she'd ever get tired of being able to make her do that. The warning bell for first period rang then. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."

"I'd like that," Rachel said with a smile.

Quinn lifted her own bag further up onto her left shoulder, careful to avoid her bruised right side, and offered Rachel her right hand, which she happily took, lacing their fingers together. Just that simple contact filled Quinn with a sense of contentment. She couldn't believe how happy being with Rachel made her, but she was glad for it.

"You know, Quinn," Rachel said as they came to the doorway of her first class, causing Quinn to look over at her girlfriend. "I'm really glad that we're da-"

"I didn't realize you were into guys now, Q," a voice interrupted, causing Quinn's head to snap up. Standing in front of them were three Cheerios—specifically one of her exes, Jacqi, and two of the girl's friends. _Great, just what I needed today._

Quinn felt Rachel's hand tighten in her own, and hazel eyes narrowed at the Cheerio.

"I mean, what else am I to think when I heard you were dating McKinley's resident tranny?" Jacqi added, looking pointedly at Rachel before smirking evilly at Quinn, daring her to deny it.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my girlfriend like that," Quinn replied coldly. Jacqi had always been a bitch, but she was a hot brunette and that had been enough for Quinn when they had dated briefly last year. Now, she couldn't stand the girl.

Jacqi looked slightly taken aback by Quinn's icy tone before her own expression turned hard. "You're lucky Santana has put a moratorium on slushies for you two," she said before sauntering off down the hallway. "Have fun with your new boyfriend, Quinnie," she called over her shoulder, causing her two friends to laugh.

Quinn clenched her jaw and let out an angry breath as she watched them go. Rachel's thumb running over the back of her hand drew her attention away from the retreating Cheerios. She looked down at Rachel apologetically and sighed.

"I'm sorry about that," Quinn said. "She's just a bitch."

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Rachel replied with a sad smile and a shrug.

Quinn frowned and shook her head. "That doesn't make it okay."

Rachel looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and affection before lifting her head up to press a kiss to Quinn's lips. "See you later, Quinn," she said before turning to go into her class.

"Bye, Rachel," she said, staring after the girl for a moment, feeling a sense of warm happiness, before heading off to her own class.

* * *

"Noah, can I speak to you for a moment?" Rachel had cornered the boy at his locker where he was getting out his dip. "Privately," she added.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "No wonder you and Quinn are best friends," she huffed. "This is serious, Noah. And it's about Quinn."

Puck looked at her curiously, but the smirk didn't fall from his face. "Okay," he agreed as he followed Rachel into the currently unoccupied choir room.

She closed the door behind them and gestured for Puck to take a seat on the risers, where the two of them sat side-by-side.

"So what? Do you need tips on how to properly satisfy Quinn?"

"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed, a blush rising to her cheeks. "That is highly inappropriate. And not at all what I wanted to speak with you about." She was beginning to wonder if she should have gone to Santana or Brittany about this instead, but the former admittedly scared her a little bit and the latter wasn't the most observant of people.

"Okay, fine. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You've been friends with Quinn for a long time, right?"

"Yeah, since kindergarten."

"In all that time, have you ever noticed anything unusual about her?"

"Yeah, she doesn't think the Puckster is hot, which doesn't make any sense. I mean, she's seen my guns," he said, pulling up his sleeve and flexing his biceps to demonstrate.

Rachel sighed in frustration and rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her cool. "Noah, can you please be serious for a minute?"

He looked at her worriedly then and pulled his sleeve down. "What's going on, Rachel?"

"I don't know," she lied. "I just have a feeling that something isn't right. And since you are her best friend, I thought I would ask you."

"Why don't you just ask her?"

"I did, but she says everything is fine."

"Then everything is fine. Look, I know Quinn. If something was bothering her, she'd tell me."

_Either he's really good at keeping her secret in confidence, or she's got him completely fooled._ Rachel was uncertain how to proceed. She didn't want to come right out and tell Puck what she had seen and suspected—Quinn probably wouldn't like that much at all—especially if Puck really had no idea what was going on. _I guess I'll have to try to see if Brittany or Santana know anything after all._

* * *

Quinn and Rachel were in the choir room again, and as been the case for the entire week, they got very little done in the way of singing.

Currently, they sat on the piano bench facing one another—the backs of Rachel's legs resting on top of Quinn's thighs—their lips locked and tongues dueling back and forth.

Quinn's fingers were intertwined with Rachel's, holding their hands in place atop the brunette's thighs, preventing them from wandering. Rachel sucked lightly on Quinn's lower lip then, and she let out a groan at how good it felt. Rachel took advantage of her distracted state and managed to pull her hands out of Quinn's grasp, bringing them to thread through blonde hair.

Quinn relaxed slightly then. She knew Rachel wasn't ready for much more than kissing, so she really shouldn't have been worried about her hands wandering someplace they shouldn't. So she allowed her own hands to rest on Rachel's hips as she broke away from the girl's lips to trail open mouthed kisses along her jaw, causing her to moan softly in appreciation.

She took an earlobe between her teeth and suckled on it, earning another soft moan from Rachel. She smirked in response as she let her warm breath wash over her ear. "You like that?" she murmured softly.

Rachel nodded her head and hummed in response. "Do you?" she asked, and Quinn could feel the other girl smirk against her neck before mimicking Quinn's earlier actions. She gasped at the sensation of Rachel's hot mouth against her skin. No one's touch had ever felt anywhere near this good.

It was then that Quinn realized that one of Rachel's hands had moved down from her face and was now playing with the hem of her shirt. Before Quinn could react, Rachel's hand slipped beneath her shirt, and her fingers grazed the bruise on her ribcage.

Quinn stiffened at the touch and hissed in pain. Rachel immediately pulled back, dropping her hands into her lap, and looked at her with concern. "What's wrong, Quinn?"

"I though you wanted to take it slow," she replied, doing her best to cover up her discomfort.

Rachel bit her lower lip. It looked like she was fighting with herself over something. "I do," she finally said. "I just…" she trailed off, searching for the right words. She looked intently at Quinn then, bringing her right palm to cup her girlfriend's cheek. Quinn subtly leaned into the contact, enjoying the girl's soft touch.

"You know," Rachel began softly, "you don't have to pretend with me."

Quinn tensed immediately and moved out of Rachel's grasp. "What are you talking about?" she asked, even she had a pretty good idea.

"You don't have to pretend that everything is okay," Rachel clarified.

She stared at Rachel for a moment, gazing into her warm brown eyes that shown with concern and worry and care. Part of her wanted to tell Rachel the truth, but the idea of admitting there was something wrong with her was terrifying.

"But everything is okay," she insisted with a slight shake of her head.

Rachel looked at her disbelievingly, and Quinn could tell she was frustrated. "Quinn, I know what I saw last Friday in your car. I've seen the way you've been walking around today. And the way you reacted just now to my touch—it's obvious you're in pain." Rachel bit her lower lip worriedly.

"I told you last week, they came from playing soccer. And so did the bruise you touched just now," Quinn gritted out. Why didn't Rachel just believe what she had told her?

"I went to your game on Tuesday, and from what I was able to surmise, my initial instincts were correct—those kinds of injuries don't come from soccer." She looked at Quinn imploringly then. "It hurts so much to know you're being hurt and not be able to do anything about it. Quinn, I want to help you."

Quinn didn't like to feel sorry for herself, but some days it was so hard to keep up appearances. And right now, it was especially difficult because Rachel was looking at her with earnest, her warm eyes filled with so much compassion. But she was too ashamed to tell her the truth. She hated even _thinking_ about what happened to her at home, and the physical reminders she bore were bad enough. She didn't want to _talk_ about it.

So she did the only thing she knew how to do—distract herself from it all.

"I told you, I'm fine. Stop worrying over nothing," she said in the most self-assured tone she could muster, leaning in to kiss Rachel.

Rachel hesitated for a moment, but then sighed sadly before kissing Quinn back.

Quinn knew this wasn't over. She was only delaying the inevitable. It was only a matter of time before Rachel would bring it up again, but Quinn didn't want to think about that right now.

Right now, she was content to distract herself with Rachel's lips and tongue, and, for now, Rachel let her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note:** The song used in this chapter is "I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders.

* * *

"You know, Quinn, I gotta say, for obnoxious as Rachel can be, I like her more than the other girls you've hooked up with," Puck said from his seat on the bed, his eyes locked on the TV screen as he killed off another zombie in _Resident Evil_. "I think she's good for you."

Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow at him from her spot on his chair where she was alternating between watching him play and flipping through the latest issue of _Maxim_. "It's sweet that you approve, but what makes you think she's good for me?" Quinn was curious what Puck thought and, more importantly, where this was even coming from. Sure, it wasn't uncommon for them to talk about girls, but usually it was just how hot they were or how good they were in bed. Not the emotional stuff.

"She cares about you," he replied with a shrug. "Dammit!" Quinn smirked at his outburst to seeing his onscreen character get eaten by a zombie. He dropped his controller onto his bed and turned to look at her then. "Anyway, I know we don't really do the mushy thing, but I have to ask. Is everything okay with you?"

Now that was something she wasn't expecting at all, but her face didn't betray her surprise at all. "Everything's fine," she replied lightly, silently wondering how many times she'd said that in the past week. Maybe if she kept saying it enough times, it would make it true.

"You sure? Rachel seems to think otherwise."

"You talked to Rachel?" she asked, feeling somewhat nervous at the prospect. What had she said to him?

"Yeah, she, like, cornered me at school today. She was worried about you, but she didn't say why. Just a 'feeling' or whatever."

Quinn rolled her eyes and smirked. "You know how she has a flair for the dramatic."

Puck chuckled. "True. She's always been a little crazy like that."

He went back to playing his game, and Quinn resumed flipping through the magazine in her hands, but she wasn't really paying attention to what was printed on the pages. Instead, her mind was fixated on what Puck had just said. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about Rachel going to Puck, but she was relieved that she hadn't actually told him anything she didn't want him—or anyone else for that matter—to know.

Quinn doubted that Rachel intended for her to find out about her conversation with Puck, but as she thought about it more, she felt her affection for the girl grow. Rachel cared enough to go out of her way to talk to her best friend without saying anything to break her trust.

It was another thing that set her apart from everyone else. And Quinn found herself falling just a little more for Rachel Berry.

* * *

Rachel gathered up her things and exited Mr. Schuester's office, bidding him farewell, with Finn right behind her. The two co-captains had just finished going over the final costume selection for Invitationals. To Rachel's surprise, Finn had actually had some good ideas that not only fit well within the limited budget the club had, but also tied in with the songs they were performing.

"Hey, Rach, do you mind giving me a ride home? Normally I'd walk, but I don't really feel like getting drenched," Finn asked, gazing out the window at the end of the hall.

Rachel followed his gaze and saw that it was pouring outside. "Of course, Finn. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

"Thanks," he said with a sheepish smile.

The two of them made their way to the school's exit in silence—the hallways pretty much empty at this hour after school. The silence wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it was still a little strange. Rachel realized this was the first time they had been alone together since they had broken up.

Finn offered Rachel his letterman jacket to cover her from the rain, but Rachel politely declined. She was always prepared and kept an umbrella tucked away in her backpack for such occasions. The two of them ran through the parking lot towards Rachel's car, but she couldn't help but glance towards the practice field behind the school—instinctively looking for Quinn—only to see that it was empty.

Rachel quickly realized that her girlfriend's practice must have been canceled due to the inclement weather. She felt relieved at that, knowing that Quinn could use a reprieve—even if she refused to admit it.

As Rachel and Finn climbed into the brunette's car, she heard her cell phone ring from inside her bag. She pulled out her phone and flipped it open, seeing a text from Quinn. She couldn't stop the smile that came to her face as she read it.

**Thinking of you, beautiful. *heart***

It was just four simple words, but they made Rachel so happy. Quinn took care to do little things that Finn never did. And maybe it wasn't fair to compare the two of them, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't that he had been a bad boyfriend—far from it—but Quinn made her feel wanted in a way that no one else ever had.

**Thinking of you too. :) I'll call you later. *heart***

Finn seemed to know what had her in a good mood as she put her phone away and started up her car.

"So… you and Quinn, huh?" he said awkwardly as Rachel pulled out of her parking spot.

"Yes, me and Quinn," Rachel replied with a nod and a content smile.

Silence once again fell between the two of them. For once, she didn't attempt to fill it with chatter and instead opted to turn on her radio.

Finn chewed the inside of his mouth, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you know her reputation. She never stays with anyone for very long—it's all just a game to her." He paused, his voice softening. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I'm sure," she replied confidently, although if she was being honest, what Finn was saying wasn't far from what she herself had thought a few times. But a bigger part of her believed Quinn was serious about her.

"Really? Because just last week you were shooting her down. Repeatedly." He wasn't challenging her—Rachel knew Finn well enough to know that much. He was just confused, and rightfully so.

"I realized there's more to her than meets the eye," she explained as she pulled into Finn's driveway. _So much more,_ she added silently, feeling a tinge of sadness.

"If you say so," he said. It was obvious he didn't fully believe her. For some reason, Rachel wanted him to believe her. She didn't want him thinking badly of her girlfriend.

"Finn, trust me on this, okay? This is what I want, and I know that Quinn cares about me."

He looked at her intently for a moment. "Okay," he agreed with a small nod. "You know, I didn't say those things because I'm trying to get you guys to break up or anything. I'm saying it because I care about you, Rachel. I mean, you're like my best friend."

She smiled. "You're my best friend too. And I appreciate you looking out for me, Finn. I'm glad that we're okay after everything."

"Yeah, me too," he said with a smile before leaning over and wrapping the girl in a hug. "See you tomorrow, Rach."

"Bye, Finn," she replied as the boy climbed out of the car. She watched him run through the rain toward his front door. Once he was safely inside, she put her car in reverse and drove back to her house.

* * *

The muffled ring tone of Quinn's cell phone floated though the air as a large hand fisted itself into blonde hair and pressed her forehead into the carpet. A fist connected with her already bruised ribs, and pain shot through her side as she cried out.

"Shut up!" her father screamed, pulling her head back and backhanding her across the face. "This is your own fault."

Quinn swore she saw stars as her head was pushed back to the floor, but she still had the presence of mind to bite her tongue.

After all, her father was right. This was entirely her fault. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

* * *

Rachel flipped her phone shut as she heard Quinn's voicemail pick up yet again. Her brow furrowed with worry. This was the second night in a row that Quinn hadn't answered her phone after they had implicitly agreed to talk. She couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach that there was a reason why Quinn wasn't responding—a bad reason.

She glanced at the clock. 8:56 p.m. Sure, it was possible that Quinn had gone to bed early, but Rachel didn't believe her when she had fed her that excuse before.

She bit her lower lip, contemplating whether or not she should take more drastic action. Maybe she should drive to Quinn's house. Decided on her course of action, Rachel quickly put on her shoes and threw on a light jacket before making her way downstairs.

"Rachel, where do you think you're going at this hour on a school night?" her father Hiram asked from the doorway of the kitchen, having spotted his daughter heading toward the front door.

"Just out for a ride."

He crossed his arms and gave her a stern look.

She sighed. "Quinn's not answering her phone, and we were supposed to talk tonight. I just want to alleviate my worries and make sure she's alright."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Go to her house."

He looked at her for a moment before turning to walk back into the kitchen where he grabbed his sweatshirt.

"What are you doing, Dad?"

"Driving you. If you really think Quinn is being abused at home, I don't want you going over there alone."

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

Quinn wasn't exactly sure when her father had stumbled out of her room, but it had been long enough for her tears to dry and for her to drag herself into bed. She didn't bother changing into her pajamas. She grimaced as she went to reach for her cell phone.

She wasn't exactly sure what possessed her to do it—later she would chalk it up to feeling incredible vulnerable and just needing some form of comfort—but before she could even think about what she was doing, she had dialed a now familiar number.

"Hello?" came the sound of Rachel's voice across the line.

"Hi," she replied quietly.

"Quinn, are you okay? I've been trying to call you."

Her concern was almost enough to make Quinn start crying all over again, but she quickly got a hold of herself. "I'm okay," she lied. "I was in the shower, so I didn't hear my phone."

She heard a muffled voice—it sounded male—at the other end. "Yes, Dad."

"Rachel?"

"Sorry, Quinn. That was my dad."

"Oh, is this a bad time?"

"No, no." She heard Rachel hesitate. "We were just about to go for a ride."

Quinn glanced at her clock. "Now?"

"Yeah. We could stop by your house if you'd like to maybe go out with us."

Quinn closed her eyes, wishing she could. She wanted to just lose herself in Rachel and forget every bad thing in her life. "I can't. My parents wouldn't like me being out this late on a week night."

"I understand. Perhaps you can come over tomorrow night and meet my dads. They're very eager to meet you."

Quinn smirked. That was a first—a girl bringing her home to meet her parents. Then again, if anyone would be open-minded about their relationship, it would be Rachel's fathers. "Sounds great."

"Hold on one moment please, Quinn." There was some more muffled talking. "Okay, I'll see you inside, Dad." She heard the sound of a car door slamming shut, and Quinn knew that Rachel was alone now.

"Hey, Rach?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"Sing something for me?" Listening to her girlfriend sing was one of her favorite things.

"Of course," and Quinn swore she could hear Rachel smiling through the phone. "What would you like to hear?"

"Whatever you want to sing."

"Okay," Rachel breathed.

There was a pause before her beautiful voice sounded through her phone.

_Oh, why you look so sad?  
Tears are in your eyes  
Come on and come to me now  
Don't be ashamed to cry  
Let me see you through  
'cause I've seen the dark side too  
When the night falls on you  
You don't know what to do  
Nothing you confess  
Could make me love you less_

_I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you_

Quinn's breath caught in her throat at the tenderness that Rachel was conveying to her through the song.

_So if you're mad, get mad  
Don't hold it all inside  
Come on and talk to me now  
Hey, what you got to hide?  
I get angry too  
Well I'm a lot like you  
When you're standing at the crossroads  
And don't know which path to choose  
Let me come along  
'cause even if you're wrong_

_I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Take me in, into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you_

Quinn felt something in her shift. She knew then that Rachel wouldn't judge her—she wouldn't think less of her for her shortcomings.

_And when  
When the night falls on you, baby  
You're feeling all alone  
You won't be on your own_

_I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you_

_I'll stand by you  
Take me in, into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you  
I'll stand by you_

Tears pricked at Quinn's eyes as Rachel sang the final note. "That was beautiful," she breathed after a moment.

"I meant every word," Rachel said quietly but firmly.

"I know." Quinn knew, and it was overwhelming and confusing, but not necessarily in a bad way. "Thank you." The words were inadequate, she knew, but she hoped Rachel understood what she was trying to say.

"You're welcome." There was a pause. "Are you sure you don't want me to come over?"

"I do," she admitted, "but it's late. But I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?"

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Rachel."

"Goodnight, Quinn."

Quinn closed her phone and placed it next to her on the bed. Despite the pain she was in, she smiled. Even though she wasn't ready to talk to Rachel about what was happening, she had taken a risk in calling her in a moment of vulnerability. And Rachel had known just what to do to make her feel better—if only for a little while.


	8. Chapter 8

Quinn stood in front of her mirror and slowly lifted her shirt up and over her head. She grimaced at the movement before letting the garment fall to the floor. Now wearing only a pair of jeans—the ones she had fallen asleep in the night before—she took in the sight of her bruised ribs. A look of worry crossed her face. Every time she took a breath now, she felt discomfort in her ribs. They looked and felt worse than they had yesterday, which she figured they would considering what had happened last night.

Her hazel eyes drifted up to gaze at the newly formed bruise on the left side of her face, and she felt lingering pain in her jaw. Finger shaped bruises mottled her arms, and Quinn bit her lower lip as she tried to quell the emotion that was threatening to rise up.

There was no denying that this was the worst it had ever been. Her father's temper was shorter and more volatile these days, and Quinn wished she knew what she could do to make it stop—to make things more like they were when she was younger—before her sister had moved out and her mother had become an alcoholic. It hadn't been perfect then—her father had always had a temper and didn't hesitate to physically discipline his children—but it had been better than this. There had been more good days than bad, and now it was just the opposite.

And because of that, she knew staying home wasn't an option—not on a Friday—not when her father would be there all day in a foul mood because of his work situation. When he was like that, he was less tolerant of Quinn's shortcomings. It was better to stay out of sight.

But she was still worried about her current physical condition. She had lucked out with the weather yesterday afternoon. She knew without a doubt that she wouldn't have been able to get through a practice but had been hopeful that she would be ready to go this weekend. But after last night, she knew she wouldn't be able to play, and she wasn't really sure what she was going to do about that. Glee club was easy enough to skip—Mr. Schuester wouldn't say anything to her—but soccer was different. Coach Castle was different. She wanted to show the woman that she had made the right choice letting a sophomore onto the varsity team. And while Quinn did have a legitimate excuse not to play—although, she would never tell her coach how it really happened—she didn't want to admit that she wasn't in peak condition, because deep down, Quinn knew the real reason _why_ she wasn't.

_I don't want anyone to know how this happened, _she thought as her eyes fell on the fading welts from her father's belt.

Shame and embarrassment flooded her as she turned away from the mirror, not wanting to look at herself any longer. But she still couldn't avoid being reminded of her shortcomings—every breath and movement served as a reminder.

Quinn instead tried to focus on the good things in her life, and immediately her mind went to Rachel.

_Rachel._ The girl who didn't judge her, who only wanted Quinn to let her in. She trusted the girl in a way that she hadn't trusted anyone else. Yes, she trusted Puck and Santana to always have her back, but she just didn't know how to make herself emotionally available to them. It was both pride and shame that kept her from letting them know the darkest parts of her.

But Rachel? Rachel was different in so many ways that Quinn was unable to define. She just knew that when she was around her, everything was a little better.

She thought back to last night and how Rachel had sang to her—how she had meant every word of that song. It made Quinn fall even more for her. She didn't know if she would ever be able to tell Rachel what was going on—it was incredibly embarrassing—but she took comfort from the fact that Rachel was there for her.

A light knock followed by the sound of her bedroom door opening pulled Quinn from her thoughts. She looked over to see her mother standing in the doorway.

"Quinnie, you're going to be late for school," the older woman said sweetly, seemingly not at all fazed by her daughter's battered appearance. Quinn didn't know whether or not to be frustrated by that fact—as much as she liked to pretend things were okay, sometimes she wanted her mother to do something. She didn't know what exactly, but just something to show that she cared would be nice.

"I'll get there when I get there," Quinn replied bitterly.

"Sweetie, you know better than to upset your father," her mother warned.

"I know," she said, closing her eyes and clenching her jaw—and immediately regretting it as pain laced through the left side of her face.

When Quinn opened her eyes again, she swore she saw a flash of concern in her mother's blue eyes.

"Just hurry up and get to school, before your father wakes up," her mother said hurriedly. "I have to go now."

Quinn watched as her mother left and let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't really know what she expected from her mother, but Quinn knew she was right—she needed to get a move on.

* * *

Rachel stood by her locker waiting not so patiently for Quinn. During the past week, it had become a bit of routine for them to meet before first period so Quinn could walk her to class. She flipped open her phone, checking the time. It was getting late. Usually Quinn was there by now.

She didn't want to be overbearing, but obviously Rachel couldn't help but worry about her girlfriend. So instead of texting or calling Quinn, she decided to just wait a bit longer.

Rachel couldn't get last night's phone conversation with the girl out of her mind. When Quinn had asked her to sing for her, Rachel saw her chance to show her girlfriend that she was really there for her. And while she had been incredibly relieved when Quinn had called her, she knew something wasn't right. After all, her sixth sense was never wrong.

Rachel's phone vibrated in her hand then, pulling her from her thoughts. Seeing it was from Quinn, she flipped it open immediately.

**Running late this morning. Don't wait for me.**

Rachel frowned as she typed in her reply. **Everything okay?**

Seconds later, her phone buzzed again. **Yep. I'll see you at lunch.**

"Hey, Rachel," Finn greeted her with a wide grin as she put her phone away.

"Hello, Finn," she replied, looking up at him with a tight smile. If he noticed that something was wrong, he didn't say anything. "Walk me to class?"

"Uh, sure," he said, his smile never faltering as they began to walk. "I figured Quinn would be doing that."

"Normally, yes, but she'll be arriving later than anticipated today."

"Oh, okay," he said, furrowing his brow for a moment. "So, I was thinking. You know how Invitationals is in two weeks?"

"Yes."

"Well, I was thinking we should have some kind of a party for everyone in glee to celebrate. You know how Mr. Schue's always talking about us getting closer as a group."

"That's a great idea, Finn. Where and when do you suggest?"

"I'm not sure about where yet, but what about the night of Invitationals? You know, after we perform. I know I'm not going to be at glee today, but maybe you can ask everyone who goes about it."

"I'll be sure to do that."

"Okay, cool. Let me know what they say," he said earnestly as they arrived to the door of her first period classroom.

Rachel smiled, glad that he was taking his co-captaincy of the club seriously. "I'll be sure to let you know. I'll see you later."

"Later, Rach."

* * *

The rest of the morning passed rather uneventfully, and by the time lunch rolled around, Rachel was anxious to get to the cafeteria. But first she had to make a stop at her locker to unload her books.

To her pleasant surprise, Quinn was waiting there for her. Rachel broke out into a grin as she unconsciously picked up her pace to meet her girlfriend.

"Hey, Rach," Quinn greeted her, reaching out to take one of Rachel's hands in her own, lacing their fingers together.

"Hi, Quinn," she replied before leaning up to give Quinn a kiss, which her girlfriend reciprocated—although Rachel couldn't help but notice that she barely moved to do so—only tilting her head down so their lips would touch.

As Rachel pulled back, she looked at Quinn with a critical eye. Even though Quinn was smiling at her, she could clearly see pain in her hazel eyes.

It was clear that something had happened since they had last seen each other. Last night's phone call tipped her off, but now that she could see Quinn with her own eyes, it was even more obvious. If there were in fact more bruises hidden beneath makeup and long sleeves, Rachel knew Quinn wouldn't be able to pull the excuse of it being a sports injury since she knew full well the other girl's practice had been cancelled yesterday.

Still, she was trying to be somewhat patient while letting Quinn know that she didn't think any less of her, so an interrogation certainly wasn't the way to go.

"I missed you this morning," she opted to say instead—and it was the complete truth.

"I missed you too," Quinn replied, pulling her backpack further up onto her shoulder. Rachel didn't miss the grimace that crossed her girlfriend's face at the movement.

"Are you alright?" Rachel asked. It felt like she asked that question far too often, but she refused to stop until she actually got the truth—or something close to it—from Quinn.

Quinn looked at her for a moment with an inscrutable expression before replying. "I'm okay, but I'm a little tired. Just haven't been sleeping well."

Rachel looked at her sympathetically. "I can imagine that it's difficult to sleep while recovering from your injuries."

"Yeah," she replied, glancing away from Rachel for a moment before looking back at her. "You ready for lunch?"

Rachel nodded, letting out a soft sigh as she and Quinn walked hand in hand toward the cafeteria.

When they arrived, they spotted Brittany and Santana sitting at their usual table. Rachel let Quinn lead her over to the Cheerios' table.

"Hey, Quinn. Hey, Rachel," Brittany greeted them with a smile.

"Q. Berry," Santana added somewhat begrudgingly, as they took their seats and offered both girls greetings of their own.

"Are you okay, Quinn?" Brittany asked. "You look kind of sore."

Rachel watched their interaction with sudden interest. _So they do notice when something is wrong. I wonder how Quinn is going to explain this one._

"Yeah, just a tough workout last night. I overdid it, and I'm paying for it today," she explained with an easy smile and a slight shrug. "But you know how it is."

Brittany and Santana both nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, Coach makes sure of that a little too often," Santana said. "But, hey, we win Nationals every year, so it's worth putting up with her regiments."

Rachel looked at them in disbelief. _How can they possibly believe that?_ Then she realized that if Quinn's friends hadn't actually _seen_ any of the bruises, it was certainly plausible.

"That reminds me," Quinn said. "I'm not going to be able to make it to glee practice this afternoon."

"Seriously, why does Mr. Schue even have a Friday practice?" Santana said with an eye roll. "Half of us can't make it."

"That will change once the football season ends. Besides, it's imperative for those who can make it to hone their skills," Rachel explained before turning to address Quinn. "And since you and I have gotten very little in the way of voice lessons this week, it would do you some good to come."

Quinn's lips curved up into a smirk at the mention of their lack of progress in the singing department causing Santana to shake her head in disgust and Brittany to look at the two of them in interest.

"Quinn, be serious for a moment," Rachel chided her. "Why aren't you coming to glee?"

"I would, but Coach Castle wants to have a make up practice today since we got rained out yesterday. Tomorrow is a really important game. We're playing Columbus Grove. It's our biggest game of the season—until the playoffs, that is."

"Are you sure you should be practicing? I mean, with your in-" Quinn shot Rachel a warning look causing her to quickly change course, "inability to stay perfectly on key at all times, you should be at glee."

Quinn looked at her gratefully, but Rachel didn't miss the look of exasperation Santana gave her. "Are you serious, Berry? I mean, glee club is fun and whatever, but in case you haven't noticed, some of us have more important things to do with our lives."

She couldn't help but feel a little hurt by those words. Glee club was the most important part of school to her—it was what was going to help get her out of this town.

"Santana," Quinn warned.

"Whatever," she said, once again rolling her eyes before turning her attention back to Brittany.

"I can't skip soccer practice if I can help it," Quinn explained to her. "I'm in line to become captain once Spencer graduates, and it wouldn't look good for me to not be there."

Rachel sighed. "In that case, I suppose you're right," she said before adding quietly, "Just take it easy, okay?" She tried to communicate silently what she couldn't say aloud to Quinn in an effort to maintain the girl's trust.

If the gratitude that shown in hazel eyes was any indication, Rachel was sure that Quinn understood.

* * *

It had been a tiring and uncomfortable day, and all Quinn wanted to do was lay down. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that just yet. Somehow, she had to get through her afternoon practice, which was proving to be difficult.

Normally, soccer was an escape for her, but on days like today—when she hurt this badly—it was only a reminder of what she wished to forget about. Her ribs hurt too much, and the Aleve wasn't doing the trick. It was nearly impossible to run since the quick movements coupled with deep breaths caused pain to shoot through her side.

Her less than stellar performance did not go unnoticed either.

"Q, here, now!" Coach Castle yelled from the sideline.

Quinn trudged over to face her. "What's up, Coach?"

"You look like garbage out there," she said bluntly with no small amount of irritation in her voice. "What's with you today?"

Quinn hesitated, but decided to fess up—somewhat. "I'm sorry, Coach. I slipped and fell in the shower last night and hurt my ribs. It's slowing me down out there."

Her coach's expression softened somewhat as she shook her head. "Why didn't you say something before?"

"I thought I would be able to play through it."

Coach Castle gave her a half smile. "I admire your determination, but you don't do us any good like that. Go home and get some rest."

"What about the game tomorrow?" Quinn asked.

"See how you feel when you wake up, but I don't want you taking the field if you still feel the same," she replied. "If it's making you play this poorly, it must be pretty bad."

"It's not that bad," Quinn argued despite haven been given an easy out by her coach. Her pride flared up at the prospect of being benched. "Even at less than 100%, I'm still better than almost everyone out there."

"Normally, that's true, but like I said before, you look like garbage right now. I'm not like Coach Sylvester—I actually give a damn about the health of my players. So, I'm telling you again, Q. Go home. Get some rest. And if it doesn't feel better in a couple days, I want you to see a doctor."

Frustrated, Quinn gritted her teeth, swallowed her pride, and walked off the practice field.

* * *

Rachel stepped onto the sidelines of the girls soccer team's practice field after school, hoping to catch the end of Quinn's practice. Glee had finished up earlier than anticipated. After having a brief jam session, everyone decided to call it a day, eager to begin their weekends.

Her eyes scanned across the field looking for her girlfriend, but Quinn was nowhere to be found.

Rachel caught Spencer's eye as she came over with a few other girls for a quick water break.

"Hey, Rachel," the soccer captain greeted her. "You looking for Quinn?"

"Yes, I was hoping to watch her practice for a bit."

"She's not here. Coach sent her home."

Her brow furrowed slightly. "How come?"

"Apparently she took a spill in the shower last night. Banged up her ribs. But I'm sure you knew that already."

Rachel frowned and nodded in agreement, even though she didn't know _that_ version of the story.

"Coach told her to go rest up, and Quinn left."

"I see," Rachel replied. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Spencer!" Coach Castle yelled. "Break's over!"

"I gotta go," the girl said before jogging back on the field. "See you around."

As Rachel turned to walk back towards the school, she pulled her cell phone out and typed in a text to Quinn, hoping that the girl was still nearby and hadn't gone home yet.

**Where are you?**

* * *

Quinn sat alone in the girls locker room contemplating her next move. She hated not being able to play, and the thought of missing tomorrow's game was frustrating. But she privately admitted that Coach Castle was right—she should go to a doctor. _Maybe if I wait a few days. That would be enough time for the welts to fade completely._

"Hey," Rachel's voice sounded to Quinn's left, pulling the girl from her thoughts as she looked over at her girlfriend in surprise.

"Hey," she replied, glad for Rachel's company. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to watch your practice, but you weren't there," Rachel replied, taking a seat on the bench beside Quinn. "I tried texting you, but you didn't reply, so I decided to go looking for you."

"Sorry, I leave my phone in my locker during practice," Quinn explained, and this time, it was the truth. "How did you know I was here?"

"Sixth sense," Rachel said with a knowing smile. "That and your car was still in the parking lot."

Quinn smiled in return. It wasn't a big thing, she knew, but the fact that Rachel had gone out of her way to track her down felt really good.

"Wanna get out of here?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, just let me get changed first," she replied. She slowly stood up and reached into her locker for her clothes before turning to go toward the bathroom stalls.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked as Quinn was about to walk away.

"To get changed." Quinn raised an eyebrow questioningly at the girl.

"Don't you normally do it out here?"

"No. I don't like to make my teammates uncomfortable," she explained with a shrug. It was sort of true. Most of her teammates were actually okay with her sexuality, but a few weren't, so when Quinn would go into the stalls to change in privacy, no one questioned it.

Rachel reached her hand out and gently gripped onto Quinn's wrist, looking up at her with a mixture of shyness—her cheeks red—and that look that Quinn was still unable to identify. "You can change here if you want," she offered.

Quinn smirked, although internally she felt uneasy at the prospect. Even though Rachel was different from everyone else and had even inadvertently seen what she tried to hide, the idea of willingly exposing herself like that was embarrassing.

"We're taking things slow, remember?" Quinn said playfully, winking at Rachel before turning towards the stalls and away from concerned eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Rachel carefully drove through the streets of Lima, occasionally glancing in her rearview mirror to make sure that Quinn was still behind her. Not that Quinn really needed to be following her—her girlfriend obviously knew where she lived—but it just made Rachel feel better knowing exactly where she was.

As Rachel drove, she couldn't help but think about what had happened that afternoon. When Quinn had walked away from her in the locker room, Rachel had been tempted to follow the girl. She was trying to be patient—she really was—but she was really worried, especially given the fact that Coach Castle had actually excused Quinn from practice. Rachel knew that if it was affecting her that much, it was serious, and there was only so much longer she could wait Quinn out.

After a few more minutes, Rachel finally arrived at her house, pulled into the driveway, and put her car into park. She watched as Quinn pulled up to the curb before getting out and meeting her at the edge of the walkway. As had been the case for the last two days, Quinn didn't move with the same ease she normally did.

Instinctively, Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand and led her up the walkway, only letting go so she could unlock the front door. Quinn followed her into the foyer before Rachel closed the door behind them.

"My dads aren't home yet, so we have the place to ourselves for a few hours," Rachel said as she turned around to look at Quinn.

She didn't miss the way Quinn's eyes widened a bit in surprise before raising a playful eyebrow at Rachel. It was then that she realized how suggestive that sounded.

"I didn't mean. I mean, I just-," she fumbled, uncharacteristically flustered and unable to form complete sentences.

Quinn chuckled. "Relax, Rach. I knew what you meant," she said, taking Rachel's hands in her own and giving them a gentle squeeze. "What we've been doing has been plenty satisfying. I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you." She leaned down then and captured Rachel's lips with her own, proving just how much she meant it.

As they pulled apart, Rachel beamed up at Quinn, feeling relieved. It wasn't that she didn't want to do more than kiss—she actually did—but it felt nice that Quinn was letting her dictate the pace. Although, part of her had to wonder how much of that was chivalry and how much of that was an attempt at self-protection.

"So are you going to give me the tour?" Quinn asked with a half smile as Rachel led her through the kitchen and into the den.

It was obvious that Quinn was tired, and right now, Rachel wanted her to take it easy. "Later. Right now, I want you on my couch," she said gesturing to the large dark red sofa in front of them.

Quinn raised a curious eyebrow at her, but did what she said. As she sank into the pillows, she let out an appreciative groan. "This has got to be the most comfortable couch in existence."

"I'm glad you agree," Rachel said with a pleased smile. "Can I get you anything? Water, juice…"

"Just you," Quinn said flirtatiously, grabbing Rachel's hand and gently pulling her down to sit beside her on the couch.

Rachel couldn't help but blush at that as she settled down to the left of Quinn, shifting slightly in order to face her girlfriend. She untangled her fingers from the other girl's in order to lightly run them through blonde hair.

Quinn closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in Rachel's ministrations and allowing herself to relax. Rachel leaned in then and pressed a kiss underneath Quinn's jaw.

The reaction was immediate, and not at all what Rachel expected. Quinn winced and subtly moved away from her touch.

Rachel moved her head away from Quinn and looked at her sadly. Hazel eyes cracked open then, and even though Quinn didn't look at her, Rachel could tell that she was struggling with something. She decided now was the time to try being more direct.

"You know, Quinn, I pride myself on being a great actress, but there's only so long I can sit idly by when it's obvious you're in pain," she said, moving off the couch and crouching down on the floor so she could look up at her girlfriend. Rachel placed her hands on Quinn's knees, wanting to keep a physical connection between them—wanting her girlfriend to know she was there for her.

Quinn finally gazed down at her, and Rachel could see a mix of emotions swirling in hazel eyes.

"Spencer told me why Coach Castle excused you from practice," Rachel continued, her voice soft.

Quinn's eyes widened in realization before she quickly averted her gaze, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"By my count, you've told three different stories about why you're hurting, and I doubt any of them are true. So please, tell me what really happened."

"Rachel…" Quinn closed her eyes and worked her jaw in frustration.

Rachel looked at her sympathetically. "You don't have to be embarrassed," she said. "And I promise I won't judge you."

Quinn opened her eyes then and looked at Rachel, her hazel eyes searching. Rachel nodded at her encouragingly, rubbing her thumbs in a soothing pattern on the tops of her girlfriend's knees. Quinn grabbed Rachel's hands then, stilling their movement, before interlacing their fingers together.

"You're right about none of those stories being true," she quietly admitted. "And I know you haven't really believed any of the excuses I've given you since we started spending time together. Part of me wished you did believe them. I wish you hadn't seen…" she hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "When you sang to me last night, it made me realize that I didn't have to pretend that everything is okay all the time."

Quinn fell silent then, looking like she was fighting herself.

"You can talk to me," Rachel urged her.

"I know, it's just…" she trailed off again. "I don't want to talk about it."

Rachel wanted to insist that she at least try, but the pleading look that Quinn was giving her made her pause.

"Can you just sit with me right now?" she asked, lightly tugging on Rachel's hands.

Rachel pushed herself up to stand before settling back down onto the couch. She brought herself as close to Quinn as she possible could without actually touching the other girl. Having learned that her girlfriend enjoyed have her hair played with, Rachel once again began to run her fingers through blonde strands, trying to get Quinn to relax while she figured out her next move.

At this point, Rachel was positive that her suspicions of Quinn being physically abused were correct, but she wished more than anything that this wasn't the case. She wished that all of Quinn's excuses were true. But most of all, she wished there was something she could do to protect her girlfriend.

"If you won't talk to me about this, then I at least want you to do something for me," Rachel after several moments of companionable silence.

"What's that?" Quinn asked, a note of wariness in her voice.

"Don't look so worried. I'm fairly certain you'll like it," Rachel said with a smile and shake of her head.

Her girlfriend turned her head and looked at her curiously, cocking an eyebrow.

"Stay here for the weekend."

Rachel didn't miss the look of relief that crossed Quinn's face before the girl smiled at her. "You're right, I would like that."

Rachel felt her own sense of relief at Quinn's acceptance of her offer—glad that she could at least offer her a temporary reprieve—and leaned in, pressing her lips against her girlfriend's. The kiss was soft and sweet and filled with gratitude.

"Thank you," Rachel murmured against Quinn's lips as the kiss broke.

"For what?" Quinn asked, confused.

"For letting me take care of you."

* * *

"Rachel has told us a lot about you, Quinn," Hiram said as he set a plate of pepperoni pizza in front of the blonde before going back to get Rachel's focaccia, which was, of course, vegan friendly.

"Good things, I hope," she replied with what she hoped was a charming smile. She was still feeling tired and achy even though she had managed to get in a quick nap, at Rachel's insistence, before her girlfriend's fathers arrived home with dinner.

"Well, that depends," Leroy said with a teasing smile.

"Daddy!" Rachel warned.

"I'm kidding, honey," he reassured his daughter before turning his attention back to Quinn. "It is nice to finally be able to put a face to the name."

Quinn nodded at him and took a sip of her soda.

"So I understand you two are in glee club together and that Rachel has been giving you voice lessons," Hiram chimed in again, finally settling down at the table beside his husband.

"Well, she is the best person to get training from," she replied, casting Rachel a knowing look, causing her to lightly blush. She briefly wondered just what Rachel's dads would do to her if they knew just how those "lessons" were spent.

If her fathers noticed their silent exchange, they didn't let on.

"Rachel's also told us that you play soccer," Hiram said.

"That's right," Quinn confirmed, turning her attention back him. "I'm a starting forward."

"I admittedly don't know much about the game," he said with a small smile. "My husband is the sports maven in this family."

"I used to play baseball and football in high school," Leroy explained. "Unfortunately, the Indians and Browns are unwatchable these days."

"Tell me about it," Quinn agreed with a roll of her eyes. "The only thing worse than watching the Browns is watching our own football team."

That earned a laugh from Leroy. "We went to see one of their games while Rachel was dating Finn, and it was pretty awful. I hope the soccer team is better."

"Oh, we most definitely are. We won States last year, and we're favored to win again this year," she replied confidently.

"Hopefully, glee will be just as successful," Rachel added, and Quinn smiled over at her.

"You know, honey," Hiram said to his daughter, "Your daddy and I should go to one of Quinn's games with you sometime."

"That's a great idea," Leroy agreed with his husband before turning his attention back to Quinn. "When is your next game?"

Quinn was totally caught off guard, and quickly glanced over at Rachel, who seemed completely unfazed by her fathers' idea, before answering. "It's tomorrow morning, but-"

"Oh, that's perfect. Will your parents be there? We'd love to meet them."

"I don't think they'll be coming," Quinn said, trying to keep her growing uneasiness from showing—and failing.

"Sweetie, relax," Leroy said then, having picked up on her discomfort. "We aren't planning on outing you to them if that's what you're worried about."

Honestly, it wasn't _exactly_ that thing that worried her—in fact, contrary to what she had told Rachel last weekend, Quinn was pretty sure her parents knew what her sexual orientation was based on a few incidents at home. As a result, she tried not to be obvious about it in front of them. Meeting her girlfriend's two gay dads wasn't exactly following that line of discretion.

Then there was the fact that she wasn't even sure if she'd be playing in tomorrow's game.

"Daddy, we can't go tomorrow anyway," Rachel said, saving her from having to explain herself. "Unfortunately, I have dance class during Quinn's game."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was at the same time," Leroy said with a slight frown. "Well, we'll just have to figure out another game to go to."

"Sounds great, Mr. Berry," Quinn said, relieved at having avoided explaining her absence from the field for at least a little while longer.

"Speaking of your parents," Hiram said. "What do they do for a living?"

"Oh, well, my dad works for a pharmaceutical company, and my mom works for a real estate agent," Quinn replied before taking a bite of her pizza.

"Really? I also work in pharmaceuticals. What company does your dad work for? Maybe I know him," he asked.

"JonesPhillips," she replied. "Although, I guess MaraCorp would be more accurate these days."

"Oh, I see," he said sympathetically. Quinn didn't miss the questioning look Rachel gave her father.

"Who do you work for?" Quinn asked, guessing what the answer would be.

"I work for MaraCorp," he confirmed. "But I only work _for_ them. And we're still working in separate offices from the folks who stayed on after the buyout, so I don't believe I've met your father."

Quinn admittedly didn't know much about the inner workings of the business world, but she got the distinct impression that Hiram knew exactly the predicament her own father was in.

Rachel cleared her throat then. "Dad. Daddy. I wanted to ask you about something."

The two men looked at their daughter expectedly.

"I would like to host a party for the glee club two weeks from tomorrow—after our performance at Invitationals. Would that be alright with you?"

Quinn didn't miss the earnestness in her girlfriend's voice. Rachel craved acceptance from their peers, and she obviously wanted this party to be a success.

"I don't see why not," Hiram said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Dad!" Rachel replied happily before digging into her focaccio.

"Let us know if there is anything you need for the party, baby," Leroy added.

Quinn internally shook her head. This was surreal. Never had she seen parents so supportive. She had been around Puck's family a lot, but his dad was never there and his mom mostly bought takeout Chinese for dinner and complained about how he was too much like his father. Santana's dad worked long hours because he was a doctor, so she never saw him, and her mother spent her time criticizing everything about Santana and her brothers. And when it came to her own family—well, Quinn didn't like to spend much energy thinking about that.

* * *

"I can't believe your dads are letting me stay in the same room as you, seeing as they actually know I'm your girlfriend," Quinn said after she had settled down on Rachel's queen sized bed, looking over at Rachel, who had just closed the door to her bedroom.

Rachel shrugged as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her reclining girlfriend. "They've never really been that strict about this sort of thing. Finn used to come into my room all the time."

"Oh really?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little possessive.

"Jealous, Quinn?" Rachel asked with a smirk.

"No," she denied rather unconvincingly.

Rachel chuckled. "Don't be. It's not like we did much when it came to physical intimacy. We mostly talked. Or well, I talked, and he listened, although I don't think he really paid attention," she explained with a distant look before turning her attention back on Quinn. "But the point is, that when it came to Finn, my dads trusted me, and I didn't abuse that trust."

"So what are you going to do when _we_ actually start doing more than kissing?" Quinn asked, curious as to when that was going to happen, although honestly not in a rush. She really was content with what they were doing right now.

"Well… what they don't know won't hurt them," Rachel said with a gleam in her eye before climbing over Quinn—taking her by surprise—and bracing her arms on either side of the girl's body, hovering just inches above her, scarcely avoiding full on contact.

"Rachel?" Quinn breathed, her breath ghosting across her girlfriend's lips as she looked up questioningly into warm brown eyes.

"I want to do more than kiss you," she confessed before leaning down and claiming Quinn's lips in a heated kiss.

Quinn was acutely aware of just how close Rachel's body was to hers. She wanted nothing more than to pull her girlfriend's smaller frame against her, but she knew that would only result in additional pain. She wanted Rachel—badly—and it was frustrating that she couldn't enjoy this.

"Rachel, wait," she said, breaking the kiss.

"What is it?" Rachel asked, pulling back and looking down at her with concern.

"Not that I don't want to do this, because I do, but I can't."

Rachel frowned as her face filled with understanding. "Your ribs still hurt?"

Quinn nodded.

"Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head.

Rachel drew herself up to her knees before shifting over on the bed and coming to lie alongside her. Quinn turned onto her left side—finding that the position was actually more comfortable than laying on her back—in order to face her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said, genuinely apologetic. "I should have thought about how you were probably feeling. I didn't realize how much it was hurting you."

"It's okay," she replied.

The mood had definitely shifted—all thoughts of passion were gone, replaced by something more somber. Quinn couldn't stop the feeling of sadness that came over her.

"How bad is it?" Rachel asked worriedly after a few moments of silence.

"It's not good," she answered quietly, feeling a subtle tension fill her body as she spoke the words. She knew now that Rachel wouldn't think less of her, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable to admit it even if it was comforting at the same time.

It was a strange thing. Quinn knew that Rachel at this point more or less knew what was going on—how she had gotten hurt—even though they hadn't talked about it directly.

"I hate this," Rachel said, and Quinn didn't miss the note of anger in her voice. "I hate that you're being hurt, and I hate that you won't let me protect you."

"What would you do to protect me anyway, Rachel?" she asked, defeated. As much as she wished otherwise, she just didn't see how that was possible. "Besides, it's my own fault."

"What?" she asked in confusion. "How could you possibly think this is your fault?"

"Because it is," Quinn replied sadly. She knew it was the truth.

Rachel could only stare at her in stunned disbelief.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? I just… Rachel, I can't," her voice broke then, feeling a bit overwhelmed as she closed her eyes.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about this right now," Rachel reluctantly agreed, pressing her lips to Quinn's forehead. "Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked lightly.

"Sure," she agreed, glad that Rachel was willing to let this go for now, and felt some of the tension she was feeling dissipate.

Rachel climbed off the bed and walked over to the small entertainment center across the room. "Any requests?"

"Whatever you want to watch is fine," Quinn replied, slowly pushing herself up to rest her back against the headboard and ignoring the discomfort that caused.

Instead, she watched as her girlfriend tried to decide on which movie they would watch, smiling to herself at the way Rachel's brow furrowed in concentration.

Having finally settled on something, Rachel popped the DVD into the player and grabbed the remote before rejoining Quinn on the bed.

"I hope you like _Rent_," Rachel said, taking Quinn's hand in her own and interlacing their fingers together.

"I've never seen it, but I'm sure I will," she replied, enjoying the way Rachel's thumb gently brushed across the back of her hand. "Thanks again for letting me stay the weekend."

"You're welcome here any time, Quinn," Rachel said, gently squeezing her hand. "I mean it, any time."

"Thank you," she replied, lightly squeezing back, and wondering just how she got so lucky as to have Rachel as her girlfriend.


	10. Chapter 10

The light had just begun to creep in through the curtains, casting a faint light on the girl sleeping beside Rachel. She had been awake for a short while already, simply taking in the sight of Quinn laying flat on her back, still wrapped in the arms of sleep.

Quinn had fallen asleep shortly before the movie had ended the night before. Rachel had been unable to wake her girlfriend though—she just looked too peaceful. But now that the hours had passed and Quinn's makeup had smudged, that look of peacefulness was tainted. As the light filtered in through the window, Rachel detected discoloration on Quinn's face, and it made her stomach drop.

Without thinking, she reached out and lightly traced her fingers over Quinn's face—over her bruises—causing the girl to stir from her slumber.

Quinn rolled over on her side to face Rachel, her eyes fluttering open. She didn't miss the flash of pain that shown in hazel irises.

"Hi," Rachel said softly.

"Hey," Quinn replied groggily.

"Did you sleep well?"

Quinn hummed in response and closed her eyes again. "What time is it?"

"6:23."

"Why are you up so early on a Saturday?"

"I always wake up at 6am sharp every morning to exercise. Of course, you laying in my bed distracted me."

Quinn smirked but didn't open her eyes again. "I tend to have that effect."

Rachel rolled her eyes even though Quinn couldn't see her. "Always the charmer."

"You love it."

"Now I do."

Quinn cracked an eye open at that. "What changed?" she asked curiously.

"You want my honest answer?" Rachel asked, pushing herself up to sit on her bed.

Quinn slowly turned onto her back once again, wincing as she did.

"That's why," Rachel replied sadly, gesturing toward her girlfriend's body.

"Huh?" Quinn asked, growing even more confused.

Rachel sighed. "Because now I know what you're hiding beneath all that cockiness."

Quinn's face fell in understanding. "Oh."

Upon seeing her girlfriend's reaction, Rachel immediately felt like an idiot for bringing the mood down first thing in the morning. This weekend was supposed to be about allowing Quinn time to relax. But before she could apologize, Quinn had started to speak.

"It's funny," she said, her lip quirking into a self-deprecating smile. "I was afraid that you wouldn't like me if you knew how much of a screw up I really am when, really, you didn't like the person I wish I was."

"Quinn, you are _not_ a screw up," Rachel said adamantly. "You're amazing and wonderful, and anyone who would hurt you is the screw up."

"If anyone is amazing and wonderful, it's you," Quinn said shaking her head and giving her a tearful smile, before reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Even if you insist on having conversations that are way too serious for a Saturday morning," she added, bringing some levity to the moment.

Rachel bit her lower lip bashfully. "Sorry about that. I tend to speak before I think, especially when it comes to things I care about."

"I know," Quinn said, smiling up at her. "That's something I've always liked about you."

"Really?" Rachel asked, melting a bit at the compliment.

Quinn hummed in affirmation as she drew Rachel's hand up to her lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "I'm lucky to have you as my girlfriend."

Rachel beamed at her girlfriend before leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'm pretty lucky too. And I promise to make sure you enjoy the rest of your time at La Casa Berry."

* * *

"Hey, Coach," Quinn greeted as she stepped into the small office within the girls locker room.

"How are you feeling today, Q?" Coach Castle asked, looking up from the desk. "And tell me the truth."

Quinn's frustration was evident. "I know how important this game is. I want to play."

"I don't doubt your dedication to this team," Coach cut her off. "I know how badly you want to play. That's not what I'm questioning. Tell me how you feel."

"Like I did yesterday," she admitted begrudgingly. Truthfully, it actually hurt more—she probably shouldn't have tried to practice at all yesterday, but she had to at least try.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Q. Accidents happen."

_If only it were just an accident,_ Quinn thought with a frown. "I'm sorry, Coach."

"I told you, it's alright. Make sure you get yourself checked out. Don't be stubborn."

"Sure thing, Coach," she agreed before turning to leave the office and wish her teammates luck against Columbus Grove.

* * *

"Hey, hon," Leroy greeted Rachel as she entered the kitchen, freshly showered after her morning class. "How was your dance class?"

"It was good," she replied, sitting down at the table and absently playing with the cap of her water bottle.

"You seem a little distracted," Hiram noted.

"I am a little distracted," she confirmed with a sigh.

"What's on your mind?"

"What do you think?"

"Quinn?" Leroy asked.

Rachel nodded. "I'm understandably worried."

"Has she told you anything?" Hiram asked.

"She's said enough to confirm my suspicions," she said with a frown, remembering something from dinner last night. "Dad, the company Quinn's father works for—the one your company bought—I remember you saying their hours had been cut back awhile ago, and that that was only the beginning. What did you mean by that?"

"Well…" he began, casting a quick look at his husband. "The cutback of hours was in response not just to the poor economy but also because MaraCorp has no intention of keeping JonesPhillips employees in the fold for the long term. The layoffs are expected to be made by the end of the year."

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. "Do they know that?"

"Yes, they know," he confirmed with a frown. "I'm only mid-management. I wouldn't be privy to that information if it wasn't common knowledge in the whole company."

"That's awful," she lamented. She wondered if Quinn knew that her father was about to lose his job—just in time for Christmas too.

"It is," Hiram agreed. "But don't say anything to Quinn just in case."

"Of course, Dad," she said, somewhat dismayed. "I'm almost offended that you felt you needed to tell me that. I'm not that insensitive."

"I know, sweetie," he said.

"Speaking of Quinn, she's been gone for quite awhile. Do you think she actually went to her game?" Leroy asked.

"She went, but I doubt she's actually playing," Rachel replied. "Still, I'm surprised she isn't back yet."

* * *

As Quinn walked up her front steps, she could hear faint shouting from inside. Her parents were obviously in the midst of a heated argument. She bit her lower lip in contemplation.

She had stopped by the house with the intention of getting some clothes and toiletries for her weekend stay at Rachel's since she hadn't had those things with her to begin with. She was hoping to either catch her parents in a good mood or avoid them all together. And right now, neither of those options seemed likely.

Steeling herself, Quinn stepped through the front door. She saw her parents in the living room where her father was screaming at her mother—something about money. She didn't want to know.

Walking as quietly as she could, she climbed the steps to her room and quickly packed what she needed in her duffel bag. _So far, so good,_ she thought, trying to ignore her father's angry tirade sounding through the house as she made her way back downstairs.

Unfortunately, her arrival hadn't gone undetected. Just as she was about to make her exit, her father spotted her.

"Quinn!" he shouted. "Get back here, right now!"

She froze in her tracks and turned around to face him.

"Where the hell were you last night?" he asked, his blue eyes narrowed accusingly.

"I stayed at Rachel's house," she replied, glancing behind him to see her mother looking defeated and on the verge of tears.

"You should have called to let us know, Quinnie," her mother said, her tone a mixture of disapproval and sadness.

"Shut up, Judy, I'm handling this," her father spat, turning his attention to his wife briefly before looking back to Quinn. "Why didn't you call?"

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep early," she explained, wondering why he was getting up in arms about this. "I'm staying there again tonight."

"Like hell you are," he growled as he took a step toward her. Quinn instinctively took a step back. "You think you can just do whatever you want, don't you?"

"No, I-"

"Shut up!" he interrupted, his voice growing louder. "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking to you. This entire week you've been slacking off around the house. And then on top of it all, you think I'm just going to let you continue to carry on with your disgusting behavior."

As he continued his tirade, he advanced on her, but she wasn't hearing what he was saying. All she could hear were the words that Rachel had spoken to her that morning. _You're amazing and wonderful, and anyone who would hurt you is the screw up._

His palm was raised to strike, and Quinn thought maybe Rachel was right.

For the first time in Quinn's life, she ran from her father. Adrenaline pumping, she sprinted across the lawn and to her car—pushing down the pain and willing herself to outrun her father, who, in his anger, had forgone appearances and chased after her.

But she was quicker and managed to get into her car and start it before he had even reached the curb. Going purely on instinct, she threw her car into drive and slammed on the accelerator, taking off down the street and leaving a livid Russell Fabray in her wake.

"Fuck," Quinn cursed under breath as she drove, slowing the car down to the legal limit and trying to get her shaking under control. " I'm going to be in so much trouble when I go back home."

* * *

Rachel glanced over at the clock for what felt like the millionth time. She couldn't stop the feeling of uneasiness she had but knew that it was probably for naught. After all, Quinn had probably stayed at the game in support of her teammates. In the meantime, Rachel had tried to busy herself by planning out the rest of their weekend activities, determined to make sure Quinn enjoyed herself.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed, indicating a new text message had arrived.

**Meet me outside.**

Not bothering to reply, Rachel furrowed her brow and ran out of her room and down the stairs. When she stepped outside, she saw Quinn sitting in her car. Her girlfriend's hazel eyes locked on her own, and Rachel immediately knew that something was wrong.

As Rachel hurried down the walkway, Quinn stepped out of her car. "Can you drive?" she asked, clearly on edge.

"Of course," Rachel replied. "Just let me go back inside and get my keys."

Quinn shook her head. "Just… no, we'll take my car." She extended her hand to give the keys to Rachel, her limbs still visibly shaking.

"Okay," she said, trying to maintain and air of calm as she took the keys from her girlfriend. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to Quinn's lips, hoping to soothe her. It seemed to help a bit as she felt her relax ever so slightly.

After pulling apart, the pair climbed into Quinn's car.

"Where to?" Rachel asked as she pulled onto the road.

"I don't know," Quinn replied anxiously. "Just drive."

So Rachel did just that while her girlfriend fiddled with her iPod, seemingly unable to find a suitable song. She tried to patiently wait for Quinn to say something—anything—that would explain why she had shown up to her house visibly on edge and currently having them drive aimlessly around Lima.

Finally, Quinn settled on a track from Green Day's _American Idiot_. The only reason Rachel recognized it was because she had the soundtrack from the Broadway musical. It seemed oddly fitting at the moment.

Quinn reached across the console then, seeking contact with her, and Rachel immediately took her girlfriend's hand in her own. She could still feel the nervous energy that radiated off Quinn, so Rachel lightly brushed her thumb back and forth in a soothing pattern across the back of her hand.

After driving around for several more minutes like that, Rachel couldn't stand to stay in the dark any longer. She had to know what was going on. Knowing that they were coming up on Hover Park, Rachel decided that's where she would take them. Since they were reaching the cooler months of autumn, it was pretty much vacant at the moment anyway, so there wasn't much chance of being interrupted.

Finally reaching her destination, Rachel pulled into the small parking lot. She disentangled her hand from Quinn's in order to put the car into park. She then turned to look at her girlfriend who had her head pressed back against the headrest.

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"I went home to get some things for the weekend," Quinn explained. "My parents were fighting. And… I… fuck."

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise. She had never heard Quinn curse like that before. "What?"

"I ran out," she said, turning to look at Rachel, her worry evident. "My dad is going to be so pissed at me."

"It's okay, Quinn," Rachel replied, trying to keep her own anger toward the girl's parents in check. "You can stay at my house."

"I have to go back there sometime," Quinn argued, shaking her head before staring down at her lap and clenching her fists. "I shouldn't have left like that. I just. I-"

"Shh, Quinn, it's okay," Rachel soothed, reaching over and rubbing the top of Quinn's thigh. "One step at a time, okay?" She leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek, mindful to avoid where she knew bruises lay. "Just be here with me now. I'll take care of you."

Quinn turned her head then to capture Rachel's lips with her own. "Promise?" she asked against her lips.

"I promise," Rachel replied before sealing said promise with a kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

"Quinn Fabray," a nurse called out into the waiting room of St. Rita's Eastside Urgent Care Center.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Rachel asked as Quinn stood up from her seat.

She anxiously looked over at the nurse. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine," she said with a soft smile, putting Quinn a little more at ease.

The two girls then followed the woman through the short hallway and into one of the examining rooms. Rachel took a seat on the stool in the corner while the nurse took Quinn's weight and blood pressure.

"Dr. Gidwani will be in to see you in a minute," the nurse explained before leaving the two of them alone.

"Thanks for coming with me, Rach," Quinn said, looking over at her girlfriend, who had insisted that she get looked at by a doctor immediately. After some reluctance, Quinn had agreed, knowing that it was probably for the best, despite her fears of being found out by anyone other than Rachel and what her father might do when she next saw him.

"It's the least I can do. Although, I wish you didn't have to be here at all," she replied sadly.

"Yeah, me neither," Quinn said with a sigh, looking down at her hands, trying not to dwell on the events that led to her being here in this very room.

The door opened then, revealing a tall middle-aged Indian man wearing doctor's scrubs.

"Hello, girls," Dr. Gidwani greeted them as he walked in the room. "Which one of you is my patient?"

"That would be Quinn," Rachel clarified, gesturing to her girlfriend.

"So, Quinn, what brings you here today?" he asked.

"Wednesday night, I fell in the shower," she lied. "And I hurt my ribs."

"What are your symptoms?"

"Bruising and it hurts when I try to take a deep breath or move quickly."

He nodded as his expression became more serious. "Can you lift up your shirt so I can see the injury?"

Quinn hesitated. She knew that she would have to do this at some point, but she still worried. What if he could somehow tell that the bruises weren't really from the shower, but were actually from being pushed on the stairs and then beaten?

And then there was Rachel. She could practically feel her girlfriend's worried gaze. Despite the fact that Rachel knew she was hurt, she still didn't know the specifics of how it happened. Quinn mentally shook her head then, realizing it was better to just get it over with.

As she lifted her shirt up, revealing deep purple bruises all along her ribcage, Rachel released an audible gasp at the sight, and Quinn clenched her jaw to keep her emotions in check.

Dr. Gidwani lightly pressed his fingers against her ribs, causing Quinn to hiss in pain.

"Does that hurt?" he asked, before moving his hand away.

"Obviously," she gritted out in annoyance.

"You can lower your shirt," he instructed, and she complied. "You shouldn't have waited so long to get this looked at."

"I didn't think it was something that needed a visit."

"Hopefully there isn't anything seriously wrong," he continued.

"Like what?" she asked worriedly.

"Well, if your ribs are broken, there is a risk of suffering a bruised or punctured lung."

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise, unable to keep her worry from growing. She glanced over at Rachel, whose expression matched her own.

"I'm going to take some x-rays to make sure nothing is broken and that there's no damage to any thoracic organs."

Quinn could only nod as Rachel moved to stand beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back.

* * *

"God, I hope nothing is broken," Quinn said worriedly as she and Rachel waited in the examining room for Dr. Gidwani to return with the x-rays.

Rachel didn't reply right away, too angry to speak. Her jaw was clenched, and her hands were balled into fists. She was furious. Even if Quinn's ribs weren't broken, this was far from acceptable.

"Quinn… how did this happen?" Rachel asked quietly, trying to keep her anger under control.

Hazel eyes glanced at the closed door briefly before meeting deep brown irises. There was a moment's hesitation, and Rachel detected a sliver of fear, before Quinn brought her gaze down to her hands, which were resting in her lap.

Rachel felt her anger dissipate somewhat at the sight, and her heart went out to the girl. She reached over then, clasping Quinn's hand in her own. "Hey," she said, keeping her voice soft, and drawing Quinn's eyes back up to meet hers. "You can trust me."

Quinn let out a deep breath. "I know. And I'll tell you," she said as she once again glanced back toward the door. "But not now. I promise I'll tell you once we're out of here."

Rachel nodded, understanding Quinn's reluctance to open up, especially here.

The door opened then, revealing Dr. Gidwani with Quinn's x-rays. The pair watched as he placed them up on the wall over the light box, unsure of what exactly they were seeing.

"Luckily, nothing is broken, but there is some deep bruising on two of your ribs," he explained, pointing to the x-ray. "As you can see, they've moved slightly out of place, so you need to take it easy for the next week or so. That means limiting your physical activity—so no sports or anything else that might aggravate them. Rest as much as possible. Take Advil for the pain—it will also keep swelling down since it's an anti-inflammatory. You can ice them as well for the next few days. Don't be afraid to take deep breaths. I'll give you some breathing exercises to do—they'll help move the ribs back into place, thus encouraging the healing process."

Quinn could only stare at him, and Rachel was doing her best to process all the information he was throwing at them while keeping her growing temper under control.

"I want to see you again in a week for a follow up, and then we'll take it from there," he added as he handed Quinn a doctor's note as well as a sheet of paper with instructions for breathing exercises.

"Wait, no physical activity for the next week or so?" Rachel asked, hoping she had misheard him, knowing how important soccer was to Quinn—not to mention what that might mean for glee club.

"No, not unless it can be helped," the doctor clarified. "Like I said, rest as much as possible. I'll see you in a week, Quinn."

Quinn nodded as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Dammit," Quinn muttered once he was gone, clearly frustrated. "The playoffs start next week." She blinked before scowling. "And Invitationals are in two weeks."

Rachel frowned and bit her lower lip, trying to keep her emotions in check as she squeezed Quinn's hand in a comforting gesture, but her girlfriend seemed not to notice.

Quinn let out a frustrated groan. "It's not fair. It's-" she cut herself off mid-rant. "I have to get out of here," she said before abruptly standing, inadvertently pulling Rachel up to her feet, seeing as their hands were still connected.

She silently followed her out of the immediate care center and out into the parking lot.

* * *

Walking back to her car, Quinn didn't know what to feel. She was angry and frustrated over her injury and that she wouldn't be able to play or perform. But part of her couldn't help but blame herself for all of this, and she was afraid of what would happen when she finally returned home.

"So, what happened?" Rachel asked once they were inside Quinn's car. It was obvious the girl was angry, but Quinn knew it wasn't directed at her.

Still, she hesitated. She knew she promised that she would tell Rachel what had happened, and she knew she could trust her, but the reality of saying the words out loud was nerve-wracking.

Rachel leaned over, pressing a kiss to the corner of Quinn's mouth before pulling back. She felt herself relax slightly, but the feelings of shame didn't lessen.

"Wednesday night, my dad pushed me up the stairs, and I fell," Quinn admitted quietly, furrowing her brow. It felt strange to say it out loud. She wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or not.

Rachel took one of Quinn's hands in her own, and she could practically feel the girl's blood boil. She found it oddly comforting.

"It was my own fault," Quinn explained, casting a look over at her girlfriend. Rachel looked like she wanted to object, but she pressed on. "I was supposed to pick up my parents' dry cleaning. But I got there too late, and the place was closed. My dad gave me this car, so I'm supposed to do my fair share of the chores."

"Wait, Quinn… are you saying that you were hurt because you weren't able to pick up you parents' dry cleaning on time?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"Yes," she murmured, feeling simultaneously stupid and self-conscious.

"I don't want you going back to your house," Rachel said firmly.

"I'll have to go back there eventually," Quinn said, feeling somewhat defeated. Really, what other option did she have? Sure, she was staying at Rachel's tonight, but eventually she had to go back.

"Dammit, Quinn!" Rachel yelled in frustration, taking Quinn somewhat by surprise. "I don't want you going back there ever again. Your father hurt you."

"I deserved it," she argued weakly.

"Stop saying that! I don't care what you did, you did not deserve to almost have your ribs broken. You could have been seriously hurt! What's to stop it from happening again?"

Quinn opened her mouth to respond and then promptly shut it. Rachel was right. What was to stop it from happening again? Her father was still furious with her, and there was no way she was going to get away with what she had pulled earlier today.

"You were shaking like a leaf when you came to my house earlier," Rachel said as if reading Quinn's thoughts. Her voice was a little quieter now, but she was still clearly upset. "You're terrified of what he'll do to you. And, honestly, so am I. I just can't let you walk back into that situation. I promised that I would take care of you, and I fully intend to keep that promise."

Quinn looked into Rachel's eyes—the deep brown swirling with righteous anger and care. She had never felt so cared for. And even though she had always tried to maintain the appearance of being confident and self-assured, it felt good not to have to hide behind that for once.

But despite her girlfriend's promise to take care of her, she just didn't see how she was going to get out of this.

"What am I supposed to do, Rachel?" Quinn asked, before gathering the courage to admit what she next said. "I mean, you're right. I am afraid of what he'll do, but the longer I wait to go back, the more trouble I'll be in. I can't stay away forever."

"Maybe," Rachel began, a hopeful note creeping into her voice, "maybe you can stay away forever."

"One day, I will," she replied determinedly. "I'll do what Frannie did."

"Frannie?"

"My sister," she explained. "She was captain of the Cheerios and got a full-ride scholarship to Northwestern. She left Lima and never looked back. I'll get a scholarship for soccer and leave this town for good."

"Graduation's more than two years away," Rachel said sadly, pulling Quinn back to reality. "And, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but how do you intend to get a soccer scholarship if you can't even play?"

Quinn scowled and looked away from her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Rachel said apologetically.

"I'm not upset with you. I'm just upset at the situation," Quinn explained, letting her head fall back against the headrest. "I just-"

The ringing of Quinn's cell phone interrupted them. Reluctantly, Quinn pulled her phone out of the glove compartment where she had left it before going into St. Rita's. She looked down and, seeing that it was her mother calling, decided she better answer it.

"Hello?"

"Quinnie, where are you?" came the sound of her mother's impatient voice. "I've been trying to call you for over an hour."

"Sorry, I left my phone in the car. I was at the doctor." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel look at her curiously.

"What for? Are you sick?"

"No, it's my ribs," she explained, and Rachel gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "They got messed up when Dad pushed me up the stairs a few nights ago." She left off the part about when he had given her a beating, not wanting Rachel to hear it.

"Quinnie, that wasn't a good idea," her mother warned. "You don't want people to know."

Quinn swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the hurt she felt at her mother's callousness. "I know, but I was in a lot of pain," she admitted. "I still am." Quinn felt the gentle press of lips against her shoulder as Rachel shifted closer to her.

"It's your own fault, you know. If you had just done what your father had asked, it wouldn't have happened."

"I know," she agreed, feeling ashamed yet frustrated by her mother's response. "But Coach Castle said I should see a doctor."

Her mother sucked in a harsh breath at those words. "You told your coach what happened?" she asked sharply.

"No!" Quinn replied quickly. "She noticed that I was having trouble playing and asked me what was up. I told her I fell in the shower."

Quinn heard the woman let out a sigh of relief. "I trust you told the doctor the exact same thing."

"Of course," Quinn nodded. She certainly hadn't wanted to fess up to him where her injury really came from—probably more so than her mother did.

"Good," she replied. "So when can I expect you home? Your father is out right now, but I suggest you get home before he does. He's not too happy about what you pulled earlier this afternoon."

Quinn was somewhat hurt by the fact that her mother didn't seem to care at all about the fact that she was injured. "Don't you want to know what the doctor said?" she asked, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice. Instinctively, Rachel brought herself even closer to Quinn, resting her forehead against Quinn's shoulder while tightening her grip on her hand.

"Of course I do," she replied somewhat sympathetically, before taking on a warning tone once again, "but you can tell me when you get home. You don't want to upset your father more than you already have."

It was then that Quinn realized that, in some strange way, this was her mother's idea of protecting her. She was seemingly incapable of keeping her completely out of harm's way, so she was doing what she could to encourage Quinn to incur less of her father's wrath.

But Rachel? Rachel was different. She was willing to do more to protect her than her own mother was. She closed her eyes, gathering strength from the girl next to her before she spoke.

"I don't know when I'll be home, Mom," Quinn replied. "Goodbye." She quickly ended the call and turned off her phone, feeling both relieved and anxious.

"I take it that was your mom," Rachel said, pulling back slightly so she could look at Quinn.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "I can still stay at your place tonight, right?"

"Of course. I thought we had already agreed to that."

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure."

"I told you, you're welcome in my home anytime. You can stay as long as you like," Rachel said, leaning over and kissing Quinn, putting her at ease. Quinn sometimes couldn't believe how much she felt in Rachel's kisses.

"I think I'm going to take you up on that," she said after they broke apart.

Rachel looked incredibly relieved to hear that.

"Are you sure your dads won't mind?"

"They're the ones who suggested it, actually."

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise before realizing what must have happened. "You told them?"

"Yes," Rachel replied a bit nervously.

Quinn wasn't really sure how she felt about that. Despite not knowing them very well, she liked Rachel's dads, but she didn't really want anyone besides Rachel knowing what had been going on in her house.

"I was really worried about you," Rachel explained hurriedly, "and I kind of tell them everything, and they felt it was imperative that you know you always have a safe place to go."

Quinn couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "Okay," she said, trying to put Rachel at ease. "But, Rachel, I need you to promise not to tell anyone else about this."

"I won't," she agreed. "You can trust me, Quinn."

"Thank you," Quinn said before pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's lips, once again feeling incredibly grateful. "You really are an awesome girlfriend."

Rachel gave her a warm smile, and Quinn felt herself fall a little more.

"I know we still have things to talk about, and I have a lot to figure out, but I think I'm ready to go back to La Casa Berry now."

Rachel nodded her agreement and put Quinn's car into drive. "As you wish."


	12. Chapter 12

Rachel braced her hands on the bathroom sink, trying to get her anger under control. She didn't consider herself a violent person by any means, but right now she wanted nothing more than to go over to the Fabray house and give Quinn's father the beating of a lifetime for hurting his daughter.

Worse though was the fact that Quinn actually thought she deserved it. Rachel was determined to make sure her girlfriend knew that wasn't the case, but she realized it was going to take time. After all, a lifetime of being told otherwise wasn't going to be undone in one night, and that thought alone fueled Rachel's desire to comfort Quinn and show her how amazing she was.

Letting out a long breath in an attempt to push down her anger, she released her hold on the sink and went back to her room to rejoin Quinn, who was currently resting on her bed with an ice pack pressed against her right side. Protectiveness surged through her at the sight, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. She never wanted to see Quinn in this position ever again.

"You okay?" Quinn asked.

"I'm fine," Rachel replied, once again trying to get her anger under control.

Quinn raised a questioning eyebrow, obviously not believing her, but said nothing.

"Do you need anything?"

"You. In bed," she said with a smirk.

"You're incorrigible," Rachel said with playful smile and a roll of her eyes, but still did as Quinn wanted and settled down beside her on the bed.

"I think charming is the word you're looking for," Quinn argued as Rachel cuddled into her left side, mindful to avoid touching her bruised ribcage.

Rachel laughed. "Right," she nodded. "Charming," she agreed as she pressed a kiss to Quinn's neck before shifting upwards. "Beautiful," she murmured as her lips moved to the corner of Quinn's mouth. Her eyes locked on Quinn's hazel, shining with gratitude and trust. "Perfect," she breathed against her girlfriend's lips, which met hers in a slow, languid kiss.

Rachel knew instinctively that Quinn was done talking for the night and that the best comfort she could provide her girlfriend right now was this closeness. It also soothed Rachel. Knowing that Quinn was here with her, safe in her home and letting her take care of her, filled her with incredible relief and abated her anger.

She hoped it would be enough for the days to come. She hoped that she could be enough to protect Quinn.

* * *

"Sup, Q?" Puck greeted Quinn in the hallway.

"Hey, Puck," she replied easily.

"Tried calling you Saturday night, but it went straight to voicemail."

"I turned my phone off. I was a little… preoccupied with Rachel," she explained with a smirk, but internally, her stomach dropped at the thought of the messages that were probably waiting for her.

He looked at her knowingly. "Sleepover?" he asked suggestively.

She didn't reply, but her expression said it all.

"Lucky," Puck said. "Almost makes me wish I was a chick. Then parents wouldn't think twice about me spending the night." He glanced over her shoulder. "Speak of the devil. Here comes your girl."

Quinn turned to see Rachel walking toward them and felt a rush of affection as she smiled at her girlfriend, who offered her a quick kiss upon her arrival before turning her attention onto Puck.

"Sup, Rach?" he said with a smug grin.

"Hi, Noah," she replied with a smile of her own.

"Quinn was just telling me about your sleepover. Not gonna lie, the thought of you two getting naked together is hot as hell. Definite spank bank material."

"Gross!" Quinn exclaimed, smacking him upside the head with her left hand.

"Noah!" Rachel hissed, her cheeks burning in an embarrassment, but Quinn thought she detected a bit of anger in her expression. When those expressive brown eyes turned in her direction, it was confirmed. Rachel was definitely not pleased, and Quinn had a sinking feeling that displeasure was directed at her. "Quinn, come with me, please. And, Noah, in the future, keep your fantasies to yourself."

With that, Rachel turned on her heels and walked down the hall. Letting out a sigh, Quinn followed after her, but not before looking back at Puck. "Thanks a lot," she grumbled.

He only smirked at her.

When Quinn finally caught up with Rachel in the choir room, she was glad to find that it was empty, save for the two of them. Unfortunately, Rachel still seemed irritated and a little hurt.

"I know that Puck can be kind of gross sometimes," Quinn said, taking a seat besides Rachel on the risers, "but don't let what he said get to you."

"I'm fully aware of Noah's propensity to make lewd remarks. But it's not so much what he said that bothers me. It's why he said it," she explained. "Why does he think we're getting naked together? What did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything," Quinn assured her. "He just assumed that."

"But you let him assume."

"Well, yeah," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Quinn," Rachel said with a frown. "Even if it was true, which I'm hoping it one day will be, that's private. Something that should just be between you and me."

"I know. I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have let him think that. I just didn't feel like telling him the real reason I wasn't answering my phone this weekend."

Rachel's expression softened. "You should talk to him, you know."

"No way, Rachel. Puck's my best friend, but I just… I can't tell him," she explained, shaking her head. The thought of Puck knowing embarrassed her to no end.

"Can't tell him what?" came the sound of Brittany's voice, causing the pair to turn and see the said girl entering the room with Santana at her side—the girls' pinkies entwined.

"Nothing," Quinn replied lightly.

"I'm sure," Santana said. "By the way, did you lose your phone or something? Your mom called my house yesterday asking for Berry's number. I tried calling and texting you to get the dl, but nothing."

Quinn felt her mouth go dry at the news. "Did you give her Rachel's number?"

"No. I didn't have it," she said with a shrug, but looked at Quinn curiously.

Quinn glanced over at Rachel, whose brow was furrowed in concern. _Probably thinking the same thing I am. What do we do if my parents call? They're obviously trying to find me._ She felt dread at the prospect. _I know Rachel said I can stay with her for awhile, but I can't stay forever._

"So is your phone dead or lost or what?" Santana asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"It's dead," Quinn lied and quickly changed the subject. "What did you two do this weekend?"

"The usual," Santana said with a sigh as she and Brittany sat down a few chairs from Quinn and Rachel. "Football game; cheeleading competition, which we completely dominated, by the way; party at Jacqi's afterward."

"Ugh, why do you even hang out with that girl?" Quinn asked.

"Because her house is huge and she throws great parties," Santana explained.

"And there's the hot tub," Brittany added with a smile. "Santana and I put good use to it. You guys should try it sometime."

Quinn bit her lower lip at the thought of Rachel and a hot tub—her girlfriend always provided the best kind of distraction from the unpleasantness in her life and this time was no exception. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rachel blushing before clearing her throat. "Anyway, Quinn and I were just about to leave to practice scales in the auditorium," she said as she stood up and smoothed out her skirt.

_We were?_ Quinn thought to herself as she let herself be pulled to her feet.

"Fine with us," Santana said with a shrug and a mischievous grin as she wrapped her arm around Brittany's waist. "We came in here to make out, and I'm not really in the mood for an audience right now."

"Are we really going to the auditorium to practice scales?" Quinn asked once they left the choir room, hoping that Rachel didn't actually have that in mind. Even though the doctor said not to be afraid of taking deep breaths, she didn't know if she really felt up for singing yet. And, well, after the thoughts of being with Rachel in a hot tub had decided to make themselves known, there were other things Quinn would rather be doing with her.

"Yes and no. We're going to the auditorium," Rachel explained. "But not to practice scales. And not to do what we usually do when we should be practicing," she added with a knowing smirk, but it dropped as soon as they were alone in the wings of the auditorium's stage. "It's clear from what Santana said that your mom is looking for you. How far do you think your parents will go to try and get you to go back home?"

"I don't know. I don't want to think about this right now, Rachel," Quinn replied seriously, forgoing her usual cockiness in situations like this as she drew her girlfriend into her arms and rested her forehead against Rachel's. "I'd rather stick to what we usually do."

"Trying to distract yourself isn't going to do any good," she said softly, placing her hands on Quinn's hips as Quinn brushed her nose against Rachel's.

"I know," Quinn agreed before pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's lips. She pulled back after a few seconds and looked deeply into brown eyes. "I'm just not used to talking. I'm used to distracting myself—trying to focus on what's good in my life. And, Rachel, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You make me feel like I'm worth something—that I'm actually good enough," she confessed quietly with a sad smile.

Rachel swallowed thickly and returned Quinn's sad smile with one of her own. "I'm sorry you've ever been made to think that you aren't good enough, because you're perfect."

Quinn had to break eye contact at those words, overcome with emotion, and she buried her face in the smaller girl's neck, just breathing in that scent that was so distinctly Rachel and letting it soothe her. She didn't know it was possible to _feel_ this much for another person.

"I understand that you don't like to talk about this. I know it's hard," Rachel murmured before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "You can trust me, you know."

"I know. I do trust you, Rachel—more than anything," Quinn replied, bringing her gaze back to look at her. "Please be patient with me."

"Okay," Rachel said with a nod. "But please remember that you don't have to pretend with me."

"I know," she said again, feeling so much gratitude and affection for the girl in her arms.

"And no matter what anyone else says, you're amazing," Rachel whispered against her mouth.

Quinn smiled tearfully and pressed another kiss to Rachel's lips. "Thank you."

* * *

It had been an exhausting but productive glee practice despite Quinn having to sit out, and Rachel wanted nothing more than a shower when she got home. As she stood under the steaming stream of water, she couldn't help but think of the beautiful blonde she was now proud to call her girlfriend.

Everyone at school bought Quinn's story about falling in the shower, and Rachel found it a little disheartening. Her girlfriend was so convincing, and her confident demeanor never faded when they were in front of their peers. She felt honored that Quinn trusted her enough with her secret, but she wished that Quinn hadn't felt the need to hide from people she considered friends. But despite her encouragement that she confide in Puck, Santana, and Brittany, Quinn wouldn't do it.

Her fathers, thankfully, had been rather patient with not bringing it up directly with Quinn, but Rachel knew that would only last so long. After all, they had wanted to report Russell Fabray to child services as soon as Rachel had filled them in on how Quinn had gotten hurt, but considering how embarrassed her girlfriend was about it all, she was afraid that doing so behind Quinn's back would end badly. The last thing she wanted to do was lose Quinn's trust, and since her girlfriend wasn't currently staying at home, she wasn't in any immediate danger.

Still, given that she was going to continue staying with the Berrys for the foreseeable future, talking about the situation with her dads had to happen. Especially since it was apparent that Quinn's parents likely weren't going to ignore what had happened if Judy's attempts to track down Quinn were any indication. And it's not like Lima was _that_ big. They'd eventually find her. Rachel guessed it would be within the next few days. The only thing that gave Rachel a sense of calm about the situation was that the Fabrays cared an awful lot about appearances. She figured Quinn's parents wouldn't make a fuss in public. The flipside of that was neither would Quinn.

She just hoped that it wouldn't come down to something like that.

* * *

Quinn sat on Rachel's bed and stared at the cell phone in her hands. She let out a long breath before turning it on, seeing that 5 new voicemails and 16 text messages were waiting for her. A quick glance at the texts showed that they were all from friends—most of them from Santana. She'd read them later. Voicemails were the priority right now. _Might as well get this over with,_ she thought with a shake of her head before bringing the phone up to her ear to listen to the waiting messages.

The first message was, unsurprisingly, from her mother and left right after she had hung up on her and shut off her phone. _"Quinnie, it's your mother. You need to come home this instant. It's for your own good."_

She quickly deleted that one. The next message was left Saturday evening.

_"Q, it's Puck. Just wanted to see what you and Berry were up to tonight. I got my hands on some booze. I was thinking of calling Mercedes. That girl's got more curves than a Nissan ad, and I know I'd have a better chance of her agreeing to hang out with me if you and your girl were there too. Anyway, call me. Later."_

Quinn raised an eyebrow at that one. _Mercedes and Puck? Well, if anyone can keep him in line, it's her,_ she thought in amusement as she cleared that message. Sunday morning left another message from her mom.

_"Quinnie, why aren't you answering your phone?"_ Her mother's voice sounded a bit more frantic, and Quinn couldn't help but feel anxious in turn. _"You need to come home. Your father is getting impatient. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."_

She pressed 7 on her phone and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The next message came in Sunday afternoon.

_"Hey, Quinn, it's Santana. Your mom just called here asking for Rachel's number. I'm guessing you lost your phone or something. Whatever. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."_

One more message remained, this one from earlier this evening.

"_Quinn Celeste Fabray,"_ came the sound of her father's harsh voice, and her stomach dropped at the sound. _"I don't know what has gotten into you or what you hope to accomplish by such a brazen act of disobedience, but if you don't get your sorry ass home soon, I promise you there will be consequences. I have half a mind to report the car that I have given you the _privilege_ to drive as being stolen."_

The message ended abruptly, and she barely registered deleting it and ending the call. Her mind played over the words he had left. _He wouldn't. Would he?_

"Quinn, dinner is ready," Rachel's voice interrupted, and Quinn jumped slightly at the sound. "You okay?" she asked, brown eyes shining with concern as she stepped into the room and stood in front of her.

"_I'm fine,"_ is what she wanted to say, but a bigger part of her wanted to admit the truth. And she knew she could trust Rachel. "Not really," she admitted. "I just checked my voicemails." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "My dad threatened to report my car as being stolen if I don't go home."

Rachel's brown eyes hardened instantly. "What is _wrong_ with him? First he nearly breaks your ribs and now he wants to get you arrested for grand theft auto?"

"Rachel, please calm down," Quinn said, although it admittedly felt good to see Rachel so riled up on her behalf.

"No, Quinn, I will not calm down," she fumed.

"Everything okay in here, girls?" came the sound of Leroy's voice, effectively cutting off Rachel's rant. Quinn looked over to see both Berry men standing in Rachel's bedroom doorway and immediately felt uncomfortable at the realization that they had probably overheard what Rachel had said.

"Everything's fine, Mr. Berry," Quinn said with a forced smile, pushing herself off the bed to stand. "We were just about to come downstairs for dinner," she continued and walked out the door before Rachel could say anything else.

By the time all four of them had settled down to eat, Rachel had seemed to calmed down considerably, but Quinn couldn't help but think that any second the police would be at the door, threatening to arrest her. To take her mind off of it, she instead tried to focus on her girlfriend's fathers' discussion with Rachel about the latest happenings in glee club.

"It's a little harder not having Quinn performing with us, but I have no doubt that she'll fit into the choreography seamlessly once she's cleared by the doctor to perform with us," Rachel said, and Quinn couldn't help but feel her chest swell with pride at Rachel's confidence in her.

"Speaking of which, how are you feeling today, Quinn?" Leroy asked, turning his focus onto her.

"A little better," Quinn replied truthfully. The rest had definitely helped, but she knew that rest wouldn't have been possible if not for Rachel's amazing family. "Thanks again for letting me stay here."

"It's not a problem," Hiram replied with a warm smile. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I don't mean to pry, but Rachel has told us a bit about what's been going on with you at home."

Instinctively, Quinn felt her defenses fall into place and the denial was on the tip of her tongue until she felt Rachel's hand grab hers under the table—her soothing touch giving Quinn the comfort she needed in this moment.

She honestly wasn't sure she was ready to be having this conversation, but she realized that it needed to happen in some capacity if she was going to be staying here.

"I realize that you probably don't want to talk about this with us, but this is serious," Hiram continued. "To be honest, my husband and I want to report this to child services."

"I'd really rather you didn't do that," Quinn blurted quickly with a shake of her head, feeling nervous at the prospect. "Please don't tell anyone."

Rachel squeezed her hand comfortingly, and Quinn felt herself relax a bit.

"We won't. At least not now," Leroy assured her. "But we really think _you_ should tell someone—perhaps Miss Pillsbury or even Mr. Schuester or your soccer coach."

"Okay," she agreed with a nod even though she had no intentions of doing any such thing. She just wanted to end this conversation.

She caught Rachel's questioning gaze and realized that her girlfriend didn't buy it for a second. She was almost glad for it—glad that Rachel had always seen through her defenses. Even though the situation sucked, having Rachel to lean on was more than she could have ever asked for.

"You're safe here, Quinn," Hiram said, pulling her attention back to Rachel's dads.

She stared at them for a moment, feeling incredibly grateful. "Thank you," she said quietly, but sincerely. Even though she still didn't like the idea of anyone besides Rachel knowing what had really been going on in her home, she realized the two men who raised the girl she was falling for were good people to have looking out for her.

Rachel leaned over then, surprising Quinn, and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

Quinn's eyes darted to the Berry men, who were smiling at the pair, before settling back onto Rachel. "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"No reason," Rachel said with a coy smile, and Quinn knew whatever the reason was, she wasn't willing to voice it in front of her parents.

Seconds later, Rachel had moved the conversation onto a much lighter topic—her cousin Leon's newborn baby and wondering when they could visit. Quinn let out a deep breath and focused on her dinner and the soft touch of Rachel's hand in hers.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked for what felt like the millionth time.

"Yes," Quinn replied as the pair walked through the hallway after school. "Rachel, I told you, it'll be fine."

"I think Noah should come with us," she argued, worry creeping into her voice.

"He has football practice, so he can't. Besides, even if he didn't, you know full well I wouldn't ask him to come with," Quinn shot back, leading Rachel out into the nearly empty parking lot and towards her car. "Look," she said, coming to a halt to face Rachel before grabbing her girlfriend's hands in hers and gazing into brown eyes. "This is the best time to do this. I need some things from my house, and my parents won't be there. Plus, then I can just leave my car there so my dad can't hold that over my head anymore."

"Do you really think that will appease him?"

"I don't know, but I hope so," she admitted quietly, closing her eyes briefly. "I think he's probably bluffing, but just in case he isn't, at least this way I won't get arrested."

Rachel's hands tightened in hers and hazel eyes opened to meet furious brown. "The things he's done to you are deplorable. I wish you would report him."

"It's not that simple," she argued with a slight shake of her head. "I know you and your dads think that it's what I should do, but please understand that it isn't what I want."

It was obvious from Rachel's expression that she didn't really understand. Quinn would have gladly tried to explain her reasoning, but they didn't exactly have time, nor was this place to do it. "Look, we should get going. I want to get this done before my parents get home from work. We can talk about it more later, okay? I promise I'm not trying to shut you out."

"I know you aren't," Rachel said, offering her a small smile, and Quinn couldn't help but smile back. "And you're right, we shouldn't waste any time."

"See you at my house then," she said, leaning down and capturing Rachel's lips in a soft kiss.

* * *

They were in and out of Quinn's house in less than an hour. Rachel insisted on being the one to pack her things, which mostly consisted of clothes, so as not to put any unnecessary strain on her still healing ribs. All the while, Rachel internally worried about one of Quinn's parents coming home early from work, but thankfully nothing unexpected happened.

"Thanks for helping me pack, Rach," Quinn said as they drove back to the Berrys.

"You know you don't need to thank me, Quinn," Rachel replied, reaching over the center console to grab onto Quinn's hand. The physical connection they shared through simple affection definitely strengthen their emotional connection.

They fell silent then, letting the sounds of the radio playing quietly in the background and their joined hands take the place of conversation. At one point, Rachel glanced over to see Quinn staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked as she pulled into her driveway, reluctantly letting go of Quinn's hand so she could put her car into park.

"Just wondering how things got bad enough for me to actually hide from my dad," Quinn replied lowly after a beat, turning her gaze to stare straight ahead through the windshield. Rachel shifted in her seat and watched her carefully as she waited for her to say more. Quinn's jaw tightened and her brow furrowed slightly in frustration. "I tried really hard, Rachel. I did. But I still always managed to find some way to upset him."

Rachel immediately reached over and laced her fingers with Quinn's. "It's not your fault," she said, having promised herself that she would tell her girlfriend as many times as was necessary for her to believe it. "Please don't blame yourself."

"I'm trying not to, but it's hard," she admitted, lowering her eyes to their interlocked hands. "It's hard not to think that when I get hit almost every time I make a mistake. It feels like it _is_ my fault."

Rachel's grip tightened ever so slightly as she felt a surge of protectiveness for Quinn. This was the first time she had spoken about her situation with such honesty, and it broke Rachel's heart. "It's not your fault," Rachel repeated. "It was never your fault. You never deserved any of the abuse you got. The problem is with him, not you."

Quinn swallowed and nodded slightly. "It helps to hear you say that, even if I don't really believe it."

"It's the truth," Rachel added earnestly. "Please believe that."

"I'll try," she replied before sighing. "I just wish things were different."

"They can be. You could report him," Rachel insisted. Quinn looked like she wanted to interject, so she pressed on. "I understand that you're worried about other people finding out about this, but isn't your own safety more important than any embarrassment?"

"It isn't just about other people finding out. As much as it would be embarrassing, that isn't what I meant." She let out a heavy sigh and finally turned to face Rachel, confusion and worry evident in hazel eyes. "Reporting my dad isn't going to fix things. Not really. Not the way I wish it would. It's not going to fix my family, and that's really all I want. I'm torn. I know he's hurt me, but he's still my father, Rachel."

"Which is what makes what he does all the worse. He's your _father_. He's supposed to _protect_ you, and instead he," Rachel's voice broke then, nearly crying at the injustice of it all.

Quinn bit her lower lip then and closed her eyes, ducking her head. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Rachel's heart broke at the sight. She immediately cupped her girlfriend's face and brushed the tear away with the pad of her thumb.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," Rachel whispered contritely.

"You didn't," Quinn replied, her voice barely a whisper as she pressed her forehead against Rachel's. She let out a shaky breath before speaking again, her voice a little more composed. "You've been nothing but amazing."

"I'm still sorry that you're sad," she said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to Quinn's lips before pulling back slightly, still keeping their foreheads connected.

Quinn opened her eyes, locking onto Rachel's. They glistened with unshed tears and swirled with emotion. Before Rachel knew what was happening, her lips were captured in a desperate kiss as Quinn's left hand fisted into the front of her shirt. She could practically taste Quinn's sadness, and it was all she could do to kiss back with enough passion to try to quell her girlfriend's unhappiness.

They stayed like that for long moments. Rachel's thumbs continued to wipe away the few stray tears that managed to escape Quinn's eyes, causing her girlfriend to grip tighter at her shirt and kiss her with even more fervor, and Rachel felt something shift. There was less sadness now and more of something else in Quinn's kisses. She had felt it a few times before—it always amazed Rachel how much she could _feel_ in Quinn's kisses—and it never failed to make her heart swell.

Eventually, they broke apart, their breathing heavy as they gazed into each other's eyes. Rachel detected a sliver of happiness in hazel that hadn't been there all afternoon. Some of the heavy emotion from earlier seemed to have lifted, although it wasn't completely gone. It probably wouldn't be until Quinn sorted things out.

"Just so you know, that wasn't me trying to distract myself," Quinn murmured after a few moments.

"Then what was it?" Rachel asked somewhat breathlessly.

"I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me, and I couldn't think of a better way to do it," she explained with a soft smile.

"I think I understand," Rachel replied. She wanted Quinn to know that the feeling was mutual. "I feel incredibly lucky to have you as my girlfriend, and I feel so honored that you trust me enough to let me in like this. You make me so happy, Quinn, and all I want is for you to be happy."

Quinn broke out into a full on grin then, and Rachel noticed the moisture in her girlfriend's eyes was back. "Okay, that time you meant to make me cry, right?"

"Happy tears, I hope," she replied, biting her lower lip as she smiled bashfully.

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, happy tears," she said, lacing her fingers with Rachel's, but no actual tears fell. "I think I can officially say that I have the greatest girlfriend in the world," she added pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's lips.

Rachel couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

* * *

Quinn couldn't sleep. She wished she could get her mind to just stop for a little while, but that was proving to be impossible at the moment.

Currently, she was laying on her back, staring up at Rachel's star-covered ceiling, with her sleeping girlfriend cuddled up to her left side. Even in sleep, Rachel was always careful to avoid touching her healing ribcage. The thought brought a fleeting smile to her face, but it soon vanished as thoughts from both past and present flooded her mind.

Rachel had provided ample comfort during their waking hours, but now Quinn had nothing to prevent her mind from going to things she wished she didn't have to think about but knew she couldn't avoid forever.

What Rachel had said earlier about how her father should be protecting her broke something inside Quinn. He was supposed to _protect_ her. That's what fathers did. But then the reminders of her own failures came rushing to the forefront of her mind—the beatings, the bruises, and being told over and over that it was entirely her own fault—and she couldn't shake the feeling that she deserved it. Her father knew best, didn't he?

As she had done countless times before, she tried to pinpoint what it was that was so wrong with her that made her inadequate in her father's eyes. But unlike those other times, Quinn thought for once that maybe the problem didn't lie with her shortcomings. Maybe it was like Rachel said. Maybe it was his shortcomings as a father. But that wasn't how it was supposed to be—fathers protected their daughters—so why didn't he think she was worth protecting?

It was too confusing. And to make matters worse, the pressure of her current situation was starting to get to her. On the one hand, she had the threat of her father's looming punishment hanging overhead, and on the other hand, Rachel's fathers on the verge of reporting him to child services. It was honestly stressing her out because she knew eventually something had to give, and she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with the consequences of either outcome.

Quinn groaned quietly in frustration, wishing she knew what to do. She unconsciously wrapped her arm tighter around Rachel's back, wishing the closeness of her girlfriend would somehow give her the answers she needed as she finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"Sometimes, I can't help but be blown away by how awesome you sing," Finn said with a smile and a shake of his head as he and Rachel finished practicing their duet for Invitationals. "I wish I was as good as you."

"You're really very talented, Finn," Rachel tried to assure him. "Don't doubt yourself. Confidence goes a long way," she added, and thoughts of Quinn rose up, unbidden. Specifically, thoughts of her girlfriend's confident demeanor in front of everyone, and how it had kept them all in the dark for so long.

Finn's smile faltered a bit.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing, it's just…" he started before trailing off.

She stared at him expectantly.

"You keep doing that."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Doing what?"

"You get this sad look in your eyes sometimes. It's been happening a lot lately. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Finn," Rachel replied, and felt a pang of uneasiness as soon as the words left her mouth. She sounded so much like Quinn in that moment. With that realization, she felt something inside herself break as she realized what her girlfriend must have felt like in those times with her questioning her wellbeing.

"You sure?" he asked, not letting it go, and she couldn't help but feel grateful. After all, Finn was her best friend. Despite his dimness at times, he knew her better than anyone else, and, more importantly, he cared about her.

"Is it Quinn?" he tried again when Rachel didn't answer. "Whatever's going on seems to have started when you two started dating."

"It's not that," Rachel said, telling him a half truth. "Things with Quinn and I are really good actually, and we are growing closer every day, it seems."

"Then what is it?"

Rachel realized then that while Quinn did a fantastic job of hiding behind her cocky and confident façade, she would always wear her own emotions on her sleeve. "I'm not at liberty to talk about it," she finally said, not wanting to lie to him, but also not wanting to betray Quinn's trust despite Finn being her best friend.

"If she's hurting you…"

"Finn, I swear on my Barbra Streisand collection that Quinn is in no way hurting me," she said firmly.

"Okay, okay," Finn said, putting his hands up defensively. "Quinn's not hurting you. But you're still upset, and I don't like seeing you like this."

"I appreciate your concern," Rachel said with a grateful smile. "I do, really. But I'll be okay." _Hopefully,_ she added silently.

Since their conversation a few days back in her car, Quinn hadn't offered any more insight as to what she was planning on doing once she got a clean bill of health. Every time Rachel attempted to further discuss reporting Russell Fabray to child services, Quinn hadn't been receptive, and Rachel would relent, not wanting to push too hard.

But she was afraid of Quinn going back to her house. She couldn't bare the thought of her getting hurt again. At the same time, she didn't want it to come down to her dads reporting her girlfriend's father. She feared it would irrevocably damage her relationship with Quinn. Still, if it meant her girlfriend was kept safe, so be it.

"Alright. If you do want to talk about it, you know where to find me," Finn said, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.

"Thanks," she replied, gathering her things so she could head home. "I'll see you tomorrow, Finn."

"Later, Rach."

* * *

Quinn was absently tracing her fingertips along her girlfriend's open palm as the two of them sat on the couch watching TV and waiting for dinner to be ready, when Hiram came into the room.

"Quinn?" he said, causing both girls to look up at him. He looked tense and a tad angry. "Your mother is on the phone."

Quinn's stomach dropped as she reluctantly let go of Rachel's hand and got up from the couch. Even though she had been anticipating something like this for days—seeing as she had ignored the last three calls her mother had made to her cell phone (her father had been conspicuously quiet since Monday's lone voicemail, and Quinn was grateful for it despite it feeling more like the calm before a storm)—she wasn't exactly looking forward to this conversation. Still, there was only so long she could avoid her parents.

"Are you sure you want to talk to her?" Rachel asked as she got up to follow Quinn into the kitchen.

"No, but I might as well get this over with. It's better her than my dad," she explained before picking up the Berrys' house phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Quinnie, it's Mom," her mother slurred on the other end.

"Hi, Mom," Quinn replied, frowning at her mother's intoxicated state.

"I'm so glad you finally picked up your phone. I thought you had lost it, and that's not an expense we can afford right now."

Quinn didn't bother pointing out that she wasn't actually talking to her mother from her cell phone. "No, I didn't lose it."

"Good, that's good," she replied. "Why haven't you come home yet?"

"I already told you," Quinn explained, hoping that her mother would actually remember the conversation, "I'm not sure when I'll be home, but I need some time away. At least until I get better." She ignored the frustrated and concerned gaze of her girlfriend. Fortunately, Hiram had made himself scarce from the kitchen.

"But you haven't been home in almost a week. Don't you think this has gone on long enough? Why do you insist on making things more troubles-" she stumbled over the word, and Quinn rubbed her forehead in frustration, "worse?"

"I'm not trying to make things worse. And I'm not trying to upset Dad. I just… need to rest, and I can't do that at home."

Her mother sighed. "Your father doesn't care about that."

Quinn wasn't expecting that comment to sting quite so much. "Do you?" she asked, her voice laced with insecurity.

"Of course I do, sweetheart," she slurred.

"Then why don't you ever defend me?"

Quinn was met with silence. She didn't know where the question had come from—she had never asked her mother anything like that before—and clearly, the woman had been thrown for a loop. Quinn realized then that her mother didn't think she was worth protecting either.

"That's what I thought," she said, trying not to feel sorry for herself. "I'm sorry." _Sorry I'm not worth it for either of you._

"Quinnie," the woman said petulantly , "just… come home, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," Quinn lied, just wanting to get off the phone and lose herself in Rachel. "Tomorrow."

"Wonderful," she brightened. "See you then. Goodnight, sweetie."

"Bye," she said before hanging up the phone and pressing her forehead against the wall while her hand stayed on the receiver.

She felt awful, and the only thing that kept her from feeling completely worthless was the warm hand of her girlfriend that had immediately come to rest on her lower back.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

Quinn lifted her head from the wall then to look at Rachel, gazing into warm brown eyes filled with concern. Shaking her head, she pulled Rachel into her and buried her face in brown tresses, focusing on the soothing hands running up and down her back and letting herself be enveloped in Rachel's embrace.

"I've got you, Quinn," she murmured. "You're perfect. You hear me? Absolutely perfect."

Quinn tightened her hold on the girl, ignoring the pain it brought, and wishing more than anything that her parents cared half as much as Rachel did.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note:** Songs making an appearance in this chapter are Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Something's Gotta Give," Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song," Alanis Morissette's "Head Over Feet," and My Chemical Romance's "Summertime."

* * *

Ever since discovering Quinn's secret, Rachel had found herself in a bit of a balancing act. She didn't want to push her girlfriend to the point of straining their relationship, but at the same time, she was afraid of letting Quinn avoid things for too long. But after seeing Quinn's sadness and frustration come back in full force after her phone conversation with her mother, all she wanted to do was make the unhappiness disappear from Quinn's eyes forever. And while her words seemed to help, Rachel realized her touch did much more to soothe Quinn.

And that was how she ended up flat on her back with Quinn pressing her body down into her mattress last night, and why she was willingly skipping her second period English class in favor of indulging Quinn's more carnal desires.

"Is this enough for you?" Rachel whispered against Quinn's ear as her girlfriend pushed her up against the piano in the choir room, fingers gripping tightly onto her hips.

"Whatever you give me is enough," Quinn breathed into her neck, trailing her fingers up Rachel's sides as she attached her lips to her pulse point, sucking gently.

Rachel bit her lower lip and groaned at the feeling Quinn's hot mouth against her skin.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," Quinn murmured against her throat before pushing the collar of her shirt to the side and nipping lightly at her clavicle. Slender fingers slipped beneath her shirt and traced patterns against the underside of her bra, waiting for permission to continue further.

She didn't want Quinn to stop, and that scared her a bit. Quinn made her feel out of control and wanting to do more than make out and steal touches in empty classrooms. And considering she intended to wait until she was at least 18 to go all the way, this was a significant turn of events.

And yet, despite her uncertainty, she couldn't deny that it felt right. Still, she wanted to take her time. She wanted to savor the experience.

"I know I've told you that I want to do more than kiss you—and I do," Rachel said, moaning softly as Quinn's thumb grazed over a bra covered breast. "God, I _really_ do," she continued, trying to will herself to keep control. "But I want to wait a little longer."

She felt Quinn smile against her skin as she slowly removed her hand from beneath Rachel's shirt. Quinn then wrapped both arms around her back and drew her into her body as she brought her lips to Rachel's, kissing her soundly.

"I'll wait as long as you want me to," Quinn murmured against her lips as she broke their kiss. Before Rachel could even think to reply, Quinn's mouth had captured hers again in a heated kiss.

* * *

"Hey, Quinn?" Mercedes asked as the two of them walked to the choir room. "Can you give me a ride home after practice? My mom has a PTA meeting and can't pick me up."

"My car's in the shop right now," Quinn lied. The lies came way too easily she realized somewhat uneasily. "Rachel's been driving me to school, but I'm sure she can give you a ride."

"You guys look like you're getting pretty serious," Mercedes commented with a sly smile.

"We are," Quinn nodded with a matching smile.

"I have to say, I'm kind of surprised."

"Why's that?"

"Well, you never really seemed like the type to stick with one girl for very long. What is it about Rachel that's made you change your tune?"

"I think that should be pretty obvious. She's amazing," she explained. _And I think I'm falling in love with her,_ she added silently, her smile growing even bigger. "And what's this I hear about you and Puck?"

Mercedes smiled bashfully and laughed. "It's flattering, for sure. I mean, what, with having one of the studliest guys in school after me. But I don't know, Quinn. His reputation is even worse than yours."

Quinn shot Mercedes a wounded look, but it was in jest.

She laughed again. "Come on, Q. You know I love you, but you have to admit, up until Rachel, your track record wasn't so great. And your boy Puck's is even worse."

"Look, everyone knows that Puck is my best friend, but ever since I joined glee club this year, I've considered you a friend too, Mercedes. And if he was only looking for another hook up, I'd tell you to watch out. But honestly? I think he really likes you. If you want, Rachel and I could go on a double date with you two."

"I could get down with that," she replied with a smile. "He wants to take me out tomorrow night. That work for you guys?"

"It should," Quinn said, crossing the threshold of the choir room and spotting Rachel chatting with Tina at the piano. Rachel noticed their arrival and sent a warm smile Quinn's way, causing her to smile in return. "Let me ask Rachel if that's okay."

Mercedes chuckled. "Girl, you are whipped."

Quinn narrowed her eyes and looked back at her friend. "I am not. I'm just considerate." She smirked. "Besides, I have the perfect idea for what we should do tomorrow. There's no way Rachel will say no."

"No way I'll say no to what?" Rachel interjected, looking up at Quinn curiously.

"There's an open mic tomorrow night at the Lima Bean. I thought me, you, Puck, and Mercedes could go together."

"Double date?" she asked, turning her gaze to Mercedes.

"Something like that," Mercedes replied with a grin.

Rachel looked surprised at that.

"What, you think he wouldn't be into this steamy mug of hot chocolate?" she asked defensively.

"No, that's not it at all," Rachel explained hurriedly. "I just didn't think you'd be into a guy like him." Mercedes visibly relaxed then, and Rachel continued. "The open mic sounds like it'll be really fun. I can't wait to hear how you and Noah match up vocally. Speaking of which," she turned her attention back to Quinn, an excited glint in her eye. "We should sing something together."

"Whatever you want, Rach," Quinn grinned, wrapping her arm around Rachel's waist and kissing the top of her head, resulting in a chorus of awes from Tina, Artie, and Mercedes.

* * *

"So when were you going to tell me about Puck and Mercedes?" Rachel asked after dropping off Mercedes, still somewhat shocked at the development between the two.

Quinn grinned. "Once I knew Puck was serious about her."

"And how do you know he's serious?"

"You have no idea how many girls I hear him talk about," she explained. "But Mercedes is the only one besides Santana that he's ever talked to me about more than once."

At the mention of Santana, Rachel felt a bit of insecurity creep up. It wasn't entirely rational, but sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder why Quinn wanted to be with her when she could have any number of Cheerios as her girlfriend. "Speaking of Santana… you never dated her, did you?" she asked, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably at keeping the jealousy out of her voice completely.

"No." Quinn shook her head, glancing at Rachel questioningly. "We've hooked up a few times, but it always involved alcohol and Brittany. It didn't mean anything," she clarified, as if sensing Rachel's insecurities. "Nothing like when I'm with you. _No one_ has ever made me feel like you do," she declared, reaching over the console and taking Rachel's right hand off the steering wheel and threading their fingers together.

Rachel couldn't stop the feeling of relief at her girlfriend's words as a smile broke out on her face.

As she turned onto her street, she noticed a car parked in her driveway a few doors down. It looked familiar, but Rachel was having trouble placing it.

"Stop the car, Rachel," Quinn said suddenly, startling her and causing her to slam on the breaks. "That's my dad's car in your driveway."

"Oh no," she whispered, feeling a mixture of fear and anger as she recognized the blonde-haired man standing on her porch. Rachel could practically feel Quinn's nervousness through their joined hands, and she wanted nothing more than to protect her girlfriend. Without further thought, she let go of Quinn's hand, turned her car around, and drove off in the opposite direction of her house.

"Where are we going?" Quinn asked uncertainly after a few moments of tense silence.

"Nowhere in particular, but we aren't going back to my house until my dads are home," Rachel replied.

Quinn nodded and let out a shaky breath.

They drove in silence for a little longer until coming upon Hover Park. Rachel decided this was as good a place as any to bide their time and pulled into the parking lot. Without saying anything, they both got out of the car, walked over to the edge of the trees where a few picnic tables were set up, and settled down onto one the benches facing one another.

It was obvious that Quinn was still on edge, and Rachel chewed her lower lip as she contemplated whether or not to say what was on her mind. Finally, she decided there was little point in continuing to avoid the issue. "Quinn, I know that this is far from ideal, but-"

"I know, okay," Quinn interrupted, her tone clipped, taking Rachel by surprise.

"Quinn…"

Quinn took a steadying breath. "I know," she said again apologetically, almost sounding defeated. "But I can't."

"You can and you should," Rachel said firmly, placing her hands on Quinn's cheeks and drawing the girl's face towards hers so she could look her in the eye, hoping they were talking about the same thing. "You deserve to be safe and protected."

Quinn's jaw tightened and her eyes shined with angry tears. "My parents don't think so."

"They're wrong."

Hazel eyes searched hers with quiet desperation. Rachel tried to silently convey that what she had said was the truth.

"You're the most amazing girl I know, Quinn Fabray," she added for good measure before pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's lips, hoping to soothe her. Quinn kissed her back, their mouths moving against one another sensually.

After a few moments, they finally broke apart, their breathing a bit heavier. Quinn brought her gaze to meet Rachel's, and her breath caught in her throat at the look in her girlfriend's eyes. There were so many emotions swirling in those hazel orbs, and Rachel had trouble identifying all of them, but the ones that stood out most were gratitude, sadness, and anger.

"It didn't always used to be like this, you know?" she said after a moment. "Where I was so _terrified_ of him."

Quinn averted her gaze then, and Rachel lowered her arms to take both of Quinn's hands in hers, rubbing her thumbs across the girl's knuckles in a soothing pattern.

"Part of me thinks you're right—that I don't deserve what my parents do to me. It's why I had the courage to run away from my dad last week. And why I lied to my mom last night," Quinn admitted. "She was so drunk, I'm surprised she even remembers talking to me, but she must have," she added bitterly. "Otherwise my dad wouldn't have shown up at your house."

Rachel remained silent, still unable to understand the dynamics at play in Quinn's family, but hoping that her words would give her the insight she desperately wished to have in order to help Quinn.

"I wish my parents were like yours," Quinn said then before falling silent again. Her jaw clenched, and it looked like she wanted to say more.

"Talk to me, Quinn," Rachel pleaded quietly. "Please."

Hazel gazed into chocolate searchingly for a moment.

"If that was one of your dads standing at my front door, you wouldn't be afraid, would you?"

Rachel shook her head sadly, her heart breaking for the other girl.

"I think," Quinn hesitated, licking her lips nervously before continuing. "I think on Monday, I'm going to meet with Miss Pillsbury."

Rachel stared at Quinn, unable to hide her surprise. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

Quinn nodded slowly, although she didn't look entirely certain about it.

Still, despite Quinn's uneasiness, Rachel couldn't help but feel incredibly relieved. "I'm glad," she said as she brought her lips to meet Quinn's again. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

* * *

As they left Dr. Gidwani's office the next day, Quinn couldn't help but feel conflicted. Her ribs had healed enough for him to give her the go ahead to resume her athletic activities, which she was glad for. She couldn't wait to get back on the field. However, there was some lingering soreness, and her skin was still discolored. It served as a reminder of the reality of the situation she was in and what she had been trying to avoid thinking about.

Staying with Rachel had shown her that things could be different, and it was something Quinn desperately wanted. It was why she had pretended all these years that her family was perfect when it was anything but. But pretending hadn't changed a thing, and now things had reached a tipping point.

Seeing her father standing on Rachel's front porch yesterday afternoon had filled her with dread, and later that night, he had called her phone. She let it go to voicemail, still not ready to face him. Shortly thereafter, he called Rachel's house. Quinn had stayed up in Rachel's room while Hiram took the call, so she hadn't heard specifics. But she did know that there were terse words exchanged between Hiram and her father. Afterward, Rachel's dads assured her that she could stay with them as long as she wanted, and that if her father showed up again, they would keep her safe.

It felt good to be taken care of, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be upset. It hurt that her own parents couldn't do the same, and she hated that she wasn't good enough for them.

And because of that unfortunate reality, she knew Rachel was right—she should tell someone what was going on. And even though she had told her girlfriend that she would speak with Miss Pillsbury, the idea of actually admitting it to someone in a position of authority was daunting.

"You okay?" Rachel asked as they arrived at the Lima Bean where they were meeting Puck and Mercedes.

"I'll be fine," Quinn replied lightly, hoping a night out with her friends would do the trick. "I'm really looking forward to singing with you, you know," she said smoothly, turning on the charm.

Rachel beamed. "As am I."

When they walked in, they immediately spotted Puck and Mercedes sitting at a table in the corner of the coffee shop. They waved hello before placing their order at the bar. Once they had their drinks in hand, they joined the other half of their double date. They exchanged hellos and chatted idly while one of the baristas began to set up the makeshift stage for the open mic. Quinn felt herself relax in their company, enjoying the feel of Rachel's hand in hers and amused by Puck and Mercedes' banter.

"So, I signed us up for a 15 minute block, and we're up first," Puck informed them. "I have my guitar at the ready. Just let me know what you want to sing."

Rachel leaned across the table then, whispering in Puck's ear, and he smiled, glancing at Quinn with an amused look that she had never seen on his face before. As Rachel pulled back, his eyes moved back to hers. "I feel like my badassness should be offended by this request, but I can't help but think this is one of the greatest things ever—second to my song for Mercedes, of course."

Rachel beamed at him as she sat back in her seat. Quinn looked at her curiously while Mercedes did the same to Puck. But before she could say anything to the boy, he was up out of his chair and taking his guitar out of his case, slinging the instrument over his shoulder as he stepped onto the stage.

"This song is for the finest lady in Lima," Puck said with a charming smile as he began to strum a few chords on his guitar. His eyes landed on Mercedes, and she ducked her head shyly at his flattering words.

Quinn smiled as Rachel leaned into her, curious as to what her best friend was planning to sing since she didn't recognize the song.

"When an irresistible force such as you meets an old immovable object like me," he crooned with a smirk. "You can bet as sure as you live. Something's gotta give, something's gotta give, something's gotta give."

Mercedes broke out into a huge smile then. "I love this song," she said excitedly to Rachel and Quinn. "Love me some Sammy Davis, Jr." she added before turning her attention back to Puck.

"When an irrepressible smile such as yours warms an old implacable heart such as mine," he continued. "Don't say no, because I insist. Somewhere, somehow, someone's gonna be kissed."

"So on guard," he continued, causing Mercedes to blush. "Who knows what the fates have in store. From the vast mysterious sky, I'll try hard ignoring those lips I adore, but how long can anyone try?"

He cocked his eyebrow and gestured with his head for Mercedes to join him. Rachel nudged her gently and within seconds, she was up on her feet, joining him on stage for the chorus.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight," she sang solo before Puck joined in. "Fight it with all of our might," they sang together. "Chances are some heavenly star spangled night. You'll find out as sure as we live, something's really got to give." They repeated the chorus, clearly enjoying singing together if their smiles were any indication.

As soon as the song came to a close, the small crowd in the Lima Bean broke out in applause, and the newly formed couple onstage grinned. Mercedes turned towards Puck and whispered something in his ear. He smiled and nodded.

"Strumming my pain with his fingers," Mercedes sang, closing her eyes as she began to get lost in her performance. "Singing my life with his words. Killing me softly with his song. Killing me softly with his song…"

Puck joined in with his guitar, putting his own spin on Roberta Flack's classic while providing backing vocals.

Quinn turned her head then, breathing in the scent of her girlfriend as she wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulder.

"They sound really good together," Rachel commented.

"Agreed, but we'll sound even better," Quinn replied confidently before pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's temple.

Rachel smiled at her. "True. But first I have to sing my song for you."

Rachel brought her attention back to Puck and Mercedes' song, but Quinn was content to let her gaze linger on her girlfriend's face a little longer. She still sometimes had trouble believing this amazing girl was hers.

The song playing came to a close, and the duo was once again met with enthusiastic applause. Mercedes smiled and thanked the small crowd before rejoining the girls at their table.

"You're up, Berry," Puck said.

Rachel gave Quinn a quick peck on the lips before joining him, and Quinn eagerly watched on, wondering just what the other girl had in store.

"I had no choice but to hear you," Rachel began, smiling playfully at Quinn. "You stated your case time and again. I thought about it."

Quinn couldn't help but smile back, thinking back to how she had been repeatedly shot down by Rachel at first.

"You treat me like I'm a princess. I'm not used to liking that. You ask how my day was," she sang before breaking out into the chorus, her smile growing even wider. "You've already won me over in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet. And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it. It's all your fault."

Quinn's breath caught in her throat at that implication of what Rachel was singing.

"Your love is thick, and it swallowed me whole. You're so much braver than I gave you credit for. That's not lip service," Rachel smiled tearfully at her, and Quinn felt her heart swell as the girl went into the chorus once more. "You've already won me over in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet. And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it. It's all your fault.

"You are the bearer of unconditional things. You held your breath and the door for me. Thanks for your patience." Rachel's playful smile was back as she began to sway to the music, causing Quinn to break out into a full on grin and she watched on adoringly. "You're the best listener that I've ever met. You're my best friend, best friend with benefits. What took me so long?" she shook her head at what Quinn could only assume was her own stubbornness, causing Quinn to smirk.

"I've never felt this healthy before. I've never wanted something rational. I am aware now. I am aware now," she declared through song, and if there was any doubt left in her mind that she was in love with Rachel, it was now gone. "You've already won me over in spite of me, and don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet. And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are. I couldn't help it. It's all your fault."

Quinn stood and slowly made her way towards Rachel, who smiled tearfully as she sang the last notes. Quinn was sure she was wearing a matching expression as she wrapped Rachel in a warm hug, barely aware of the applause surrounding them.

"That was amazing," she said.

"I'm glad you liked it," Rachel replied, smiling shyly up at her as they pulled apart.

"I loved it," Quinn said. _I love you,_ she added silently.

"You ladies ready to do your next song?" Puck asked.

Quinn nodded, only looking away from Rachel to grab a nearby microphone. Puck began to play the intro to "Summertime."

"When the lights go out, will you take me with you?" Quinn sang, looking at Rachel meaningfully, "And carry all this broken bone through six years down in crowded rooms?"

Rachel gazed at her sympathetically, and had Quinn not been singing, she thought she might not have been able to keep her emotions in check—not because Rachel didn't care, but because she cared so damn much.

"And highways I call home is something I can't know til now," Quinn continued, "til you picked me off the ground with brick in hand, your lip gloss smile, your scraped up knees and…"

Rachel joined her then, gazing back with intensity, "If you stay, I would even wait all night or until my heart explodes."

"How long?" Rachel sang alone. "Until we find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want."

"Terrified of what I'd be," Quinn sang, focusing solely on her girlfriend. "As a kid from what I've seen. Every single day when people try and put the pieces back together just to smash them down. Turn my headphones up real loud." Her hazel eyes bore into Rachel's chocolate brown, trying to convey all she felt for her—the love and the gratitude. "I don't think I need them now, 'cause you stop the noise, and…"

Rachel joined her again for the chorus, "If you stay, I would even wait all night or until my heart explodes."

"How long?" Rachel sang as Quinn sang a harmony beneath the girl's gorgeous melody. "Until we find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want."

Rachel smiled and clasped Quinn's hand in hers. All she could focus on in that moment was the warmth of Rachel's hand in hers and the emotion shining in brown eyes, only vaguely aware of Puck jamming out on his guitar behind them.

"Anytime you want," Rachel sang softly before belting out the bridge, her voice filled with passion. "Don't walk away, 'cause if you stay, I would even wait all night or until my heart explodes."

"How long?" they sang together once again. "Until we find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me, and you can write it on your arm. You can run away with me anytime you want."

Puck played the outro on his guitar, and the two girls shared another tearful smile as they were met with applause. What Quinn felt for Rachel at that moment was intense, but it felt so good and so right, and she suspected Rachel felt it too.

"That was awesome, guys," Puck said, breaking the spell and forcing them to look away from each other.

"Thank you, Noah," Rachel replied as they followed him back to their table. "Your guitar playing was exceptional. Thank you for accompanying us."

"It was my pleasure," he grinned at them before turning his attention to his date. Quinn was glad that he and Mercedes were getting along so well, but even more than that, she was glad for the girl at her side.

"I think I need some air after that," she said to Rachel, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by their performance. Rachel looked up at her knowingly and nodded.

They excused themselves and walked out into the cool November night, finding a secluded spot alongside the building.

"You were incredible," Quinn said as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, drawing her close and kissing her soundly.

"So were you," she said as they pulled apart, her brown eyes filled with incredible warmth. Quinn loved so many things about Rachel, but her eyes and how expressive they were definitely ranked as one of her favorites. "Thank you for singing that song with me."

"I should be thanking you," Quinn said with the shake of her head. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me, you know."

Rachel bit her lower lip and smiled shyly. "I have a confession to make," she said softly, gazing into hazel eyes. "I love you."

Quinn's heart soared at Rachel's declaration, and again she wondered how she got so lucky. "I love you too, Rachel," she breathed. "So much," she added before lowering her mouth to Rachel's and kissing her tenderly.


	15. Chapter 15

Quinn stood outside Miss Pillsbury's office, contemplating whether or not she should go inside. If she did, there would be no turning back. A million questions ran through her mind, each one filling her with more and more uncertainty. What would happen to her? Her parents? What would people say about her? Would they pity her, think less of her?

The guidance counselor's door opened then, breaking her from her thoughts and revealing Mr. Schuester.

"Hey, Quinn," he greeted her warmly. "You here to see Miss Pillsbury?"

"Hey, Mr. Schue," she replied easily, belying the uncertainty that she was feeling at the moment. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to her if she was around."

"She is," he replied, even though Quinn had figured that much out, judging by the sight of the red-headed woman disinfecting her desk. "How are you doing?" he asked. "Feeling any better?"

"I am, actually, and the doctor gave me clearance to resume physical activity, so I'll be able to start learning the choreography for Invitationals."

"That's great, Quinn," he beamed. "Anyway, I'll get out of your way now, and let you talk to Em—I mean, Miss Pillsbury. I'll see you this afternoon in glee."

"Bye, Mr. Schue," she said, watching him walk away for a moment before taking a breath and turning back to look into the guidance counselor's office.

Miss Pillsbury was now sitting at her desk, looking at her expectantly. "Quinn, right?"

She nodded, surprised that she even remembered her name given that she had only been here once before. Then again, she had noticed the woman spent a lot of time with Mr. Schuester, so she probably knew who was in glee club.

Trying to shake off the doubts she had, Quinn offered Miss Pillsbury a smile as she crossed the threshold of her office and took a seat in one of the chairs across from the counselor.

"So, Quinn, what can I do for you?" she asked kindly.

"I…" It was then that Quinn realized that she barely knew the woman sitting in front of her, and regardless of how kind she seemed, it didn't stop the feelings of shame that gave rise in her at the thought of actually speaking the truth about her situation to anyone besides Rachel. Without conscious thought, her old defenses fell into place. "I wanted to talk to you about scholarship opportunities."

* * *

"You're glowing," Kurt observed with a sly smile as Rachel took her seat beside him in their sixth period History class.

She smiled and ducked her head, knowing exactly what he was referring to. Ever since she and Quinn had confessed their love for one another, Rachel had been on cloud nine. She had never been so happy in her life.

"If I'd have told you that you'd be falling for Quinn Fabray a few weeks ago, you'd have launched into a tirade," he continued teasingly.

"I will admit that I was wrong about her," Rachel said, her smile never wavering.

"Please tell me that you're going to forgo the matching cat calendars that you tried to get Finn to use."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "No, that kind of thing isn't necessary with Quinn."

"I suppose it wouldn't be," he agreed. "I love that boy like a brother—and hopefully he will be one soon—but he's sometimes lacking in the romance department."

"No disrespect to Finn, but Quinn definitely has the romance covered," she replied happily. "It's not so much grand gestures with her, but the little things, you know? She always knows what to say or do to make me swoon."

Kurt smiled at her genuinely then. "I'm happy for you," he said after a moment. "Now that you've gotten over yourself, I do think you're a good match."

Rachel ignored the small slight, unable to stop smiling as she voiced her agreement. "I think so too. Quinn is nothing short of amazing."

* * *

Quinn was flat on her back, Rachel's body pressing her down into the mattress as their lips connected in a heated kiss. Her hands gripped lightly onto Rachel's shoulder blades before trailing down her back. Rachel groaned softly into her mouth as Quinn's hands moved even lower, squeezing her backside.

"God, I can't get enough of you, Quinn," Rachel moaned, breaking their kiss and moving her mouth along Quinn's jaw before latching onto her earlobe and suckling, causing Quinn to take in a sharp breath.

"That feels so good," she murmured, closing her eyes, and enjoying the sensation of Rachel's hot mouth against her skin and the firm muscles beneath her hands.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Quinn knew it should have been strange to not be the one not in control of things, but with Rachel, it was different.

She trusted her completely.

"Quinn," Rachel whispered hotly against her ear, and Quinn couldn't stop herself from shuddering.

There was a neediness in Rachel's tone. She wanted something from Quinn, and Quinn wasn't about to deny her anything.

"What do you need, Rach?" she asked before pressing her lips to Rachel's pulse point and lightly nipping at the skin there.

Her breath hitched, and Quinn couldn't help but smirk against her neck as she rolled them over, settling her weight on top of her girlfriend. Her hands slid up from Rachel's backside and settled on her hips.

Rachel immediately reached down and grabbed both of Quinn's hands, drawing them up to the hem of her shirt and then beneath the garment. Her palms grazed the soft skin of Rachel's belly before her fingertips reached the underside of the girl's breasts. It was then that she realized her girlfriend wasn't wearing a bra.

_Oh, God._

She pulled back and gazed down into Rachel's warm brown eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked sincerely.

"Absolutely."

There was no doubt in Rachel's eyes, and it made Quinn's heart melt. Unbidden, she dropped her lips to Rachel's, capturing them in a heated kiss.

With all the reverence she possessed, Quinn then slid her hands up and cupped Rachel's breasts. Her thumbs brushed against dusky nipples, causing Rachel to fist her hands into blonde hair and guide Quinn's mouth to a place she longed to taste.

To most people, it may have only looked like simple kisses and stolen touches, but to Quinn, every kiss and every touch was an act of making love to Rachel.

* * *

Rachel watched from her seat on the back porch as Quinn ran through rigorous soccer drills in her backyard. Her girlfriend's athleticism was definitely something she both admired and envied. Even at less than 100 percent, Quinn put most people to shame.

Of course, that only led Rachel to thinking about the reasons _why_ she wasn't at 100 percent. She knew that Quinn had gotten cold feet when meeting with Miss Pillsbury the other day, and Rachel really couldn't blame her. She knew this was hard for Quinn. Up until a couple weeks ago, no one knew what was going on. And while she was urgent for some kind of resolution or something that would move things in that direction, she knew patience was necessary.

And it was okay, right now. Quinn was here with her, and she was safe.

* * *

It was a tough match, but McKinley had defeated Delphos, living to play another game. The fact that Coach Castle had let Quinn play during crucial minutes made her feel even better about the win. It had been killing her to sit on the sidelines during her injury, and it was good to be back on the field.

"Hey, Quinn," Spencer said, plopping down next to her on the bus as they began to head back to Lima. "Am I still giving you a ride home?"

"Actually, can you drop me off at Rachel's? We need to practice our choreography for glee," she said, unable to keep the suggestive tone out of her voice.

"Is that what the kids call it these days?" her captain teased.

Quinn smirked.

"But yeah, I can drop you off there."

"Thanks, Spencer," she said, fishing her phone out of her gym bag. The older girl rolled her eyes playfully and moved to another seat in order to give her some privacy. As soon as Quinn was alone, she quickly dialed the now familiar number.

"Hi, Quinn," Rachel answered sweetly.

"Hey, Rach," she smiled into the phone.

"How was your game? Did you win?"

"We won, of course," she replied.

"Of course," Rachel responded good-naturedly. "Are you on your way home?"

"Yeah, I should be home in an hour," Quinn confirmed. "How was your piano lesson?"

"It went well, I think. I have something I want to play for you tomorrow during our free period."

"I can't wait to hear it," she replied. "And I can't wait to see you," she continued before adding quietly, "I love you." She didn't think she'd ever get tired of saying it.

"I love you too," Rachel replied, and Quinn swore she could hear her smile through the phone.

* * *

Quinn was laughing at a joke Spencer was telling her as they stepped off the bus before her eyes caught sight of something that made her heart drop into her stomach.

Standing less than ten feet away was her father chatting pleasantly with a few of her teammates' parents.

As if sensing her presence, he turned and locked hard blue eyes on her, and Quinn found herself unable to do anything but stare back in wide-eyed apprehension as he excused himself from his conversation and walked towards her.

"Hey, Mr. Fabray," Spencer greeted him, oblivious to Quinn's internal turmoil.

"Hello, Spencer," he replied with a smile, but Quinn knew full well that it was strained, even if no one else noticed. "Congratulations on your win tonight," he said before turning his attention onto his daughter, a warning glint in his eyes. "Are you ready to go home, Quinn?"

She felt herself freeze up, slightly panicking and falling into the cowering mindset she usually had around her father when he was angry with her. She could only nod, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that things weren't exactly copasetic between them.

"Guess that saves me the trouble of dropping you off," Spencer said then, bumping her shoulder against Quinn's. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see ya," Quinn replied, watching apprehensively as her captain walked off to talk to one of the other girls before leaving.

Her father's firm grip on her upper arm grabbed her attention as he pulled her away from the bus and into the parking lot.

"You have no idea how much trouble you're in," he growled lowly as his fingers tightened, causing Quinn to swallow thickly as fear settled over her.

Her eyes darted around, catching sight of the other girls and their parents and wondering if one of them might notice that something was amiss. She felt torn about that prospect. Her shame and pride ran deep—she didn't want anyone to know what was about to happen. But she was also afraid—not wanting to suffer more than usual.

Shame and pride won out as she allowed her father to lead her to his car.

The ride itself was filled with tense silence. Quinn could practically feel her father's anger rolling off of him, but she knew the worst was yet to come. He was a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. It filled her with a terrible sense of dread.

All too soon, they arrived at her house. Her father pulled his car into the garage and turned the key in the ignition, promptly shutting it down as the garage door closed behind them with finality. Quinn sat in her seat, staring at her clenched hands, scared out of her mind. She knew that she was in more trouble than she had ever been in her entire life.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the dark look cast in her direction before her father climbed out of the car and slammed the driver's side door, causing Quinn to jump in her seat.

The passenger side door opened, and her father leaned in, getting dangerously close to her face. "Get out of the car," he growled.

Quinn found herself unable to comply with his request, too afraid of what was to happen once she got out of the vehicle.

Before she knew what was happening, he reached into the car and gripped tightly onto her right wrist. He pulled her out of the car roughly, yanking on her arm and causing Quinn to release a sharp cry at the sensation of her arm extending farther than it was meant to. Before she could recover, she was slammed into the side of the car, her hip jamming painfully into the handle of the car door as furious blue eyes bore into her.

* * *

Rachel had a bad feeling. While it was entirely possible Quinn had gotten caught up in spending time with her teammates or was simply running late, the fact that she wasn't responding to texts or picking up her phone was concerning.

"Sweetie, stop getting yourself all worked up," Hiram said, trying to calm her down. "Why don't you try calling Spencer?"

"I don't have her number," Rachel said, immediately trying to think of who in her phone would have it. Considering that the girl was a senior and didn't exactly roam in the same circles as any of her friends, it made the task difficult. But there was one person she knew who might have it.

Quickly scrolling through her phone, she selected his number and waited impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hello?" came the distracted greeting, and Rachel could hear the sound of something blowing up in the background.

"Hi, Noah, it's Rachel," she said hurriedly.

"What's up, Rachel?" he asked.

"Do you have Spencer Amwell's cellphone number?"

"Can't say that I do," he replied. "Why don't you just ask Quinn for it?"

"That's the problem, Noah. I'm trying to track down Quinn, and she was with Spencer tonight."

"Look, I know you two are head over heels in love or whatever, but why don't you let the girl breathe a bit?"

"You don't understand," Rachel said, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice. "Spencer was supposed to drop Quinn off at my house after they got back to McKinley. It's well past the time she was supposed to be here, and she's not picking up her phone."

"She probably just went home. It's kind of late, and I know her parents don't like her staying out late on weeknights."

"Noah…" Rachel said, desperation creeping into her voice now. The sounds in the background suddenly ceased.

"Rachel?" he asked, his concern evident. "Why are you freaking out about this?"

"Because she's supposed to be home with me," she said, unable to hide her worry any longer.

"Okay, calm down," he said. "This dude Jeremy on the football team dated Spencer last year. Lemme call him and see if he has her number. I'll call you right back."

"Thank you, Noah," she said gratefully.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?" Russell seethed, both hands fisted in the front of Quinn's shirt as he shoved her against the hard cement wall of the garage. "Where the hell do you get off thinking you can just run off, doing whatever you please?"

"Daddy, please," she pleaded, hoping that somehow she could get him to see reason. "I was hurt, and I needed-"

"And who's fault was that, huh?" he interrupted, giving her another push, his face twisted in anger. Quinn instantly felt the familiar pangs of shame and guilt. "That's right, it was yours. If you would just _listen_ for once, then I wouldn't have to do this."

Before Quinn could even think, his large palm cracked across her face, and tears sprung to her eyes.

* * *

"Hello, Spencer, it's Rachel Berry."

"Oh hey, Rachel, what's up?"

"Is Quinn with you?"

"Uh, no," she replied. "She went home with her dad."

Rachel practically dropped the phone but managed to hold on. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," came the other girl's reply. "I saw her get into his car."

Rachel quickly thanked Spencer and tried to push the sick feeling in her stomach down as she ended the call.

* * *

"You stupid, stupid dyke!" her father roared, bringing his belt down across Quinn's back—the buckle catching her side and causing her to cry out in pain. "Who else did you tell?"

"No one!" she shouted, desperate to make him stop. His anger just seemed to be growing, and Quinn didn't know how much more she could take. It was frightening—she had never seen him quite like this before.

Another blow rained down on her.

"You better not be lying," he growled, releasing yet another lash.

"I swear," she pleaded. "Please... I'm sorry."

A fist collided with her stomach then, causing her to collapse onto the ground completely. She tried to take in a breath, but it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

"You'll be sorry alright."

* * *

Rachel ran out of her house with her fathers hot her heels, but the sight of someone walking up her front lawn caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Noah?" Rachel asked when she recognized just who that someone was. "What are you doing here?"

"Honestly? You kind of freaked me out with that phone call," he explained worriedly. Rachel knew that he wasn't dumb—his light brown eyes glancing back and forth between her and her dads and the cars in their driveway were a dead giveaway. "Where are you going?"

"Quinn's," she replied simply, hoping that her face remained impassive, but judging by the look on Puck's face, she knew that she failed—he read her perfectly.

He nodded then, his expression inscrutable. He glanced at Rachel's dads briefly before locking his eyes on hers. "Let me drive you." His tone left no room for argument. Not that Rachel wanted to do so.

She nodded before turning back to her fathers. "I'll go with Noah."

"We'll follow you," Leroy said, and with that both men got into her daddy's Acura TL.

The engine roared to life, and it was then that Rachel turned her gaze back onto Puck.

"Come on," he said, gesturing with a nod of his head towards his pickup truck.

Letting out a long breath, Rachel shook her head and climbed into the passenger seat of his vehicle, trying to keep her wits about her.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" he asked as they pulled onto the road. He glanced into to his rearview mirror, making sure the Berry men were behind him.

Rachel was quiet for a moment, trying to determine what she should tell him.

Mashing her lips together, she finally settled on what to say. "Quinn's in trouble."


	16. Chapter 16

"I need you to be a little more specific, Rachel," Puck said as they continued to drive to Quinn's house. "What kind of trouble is Quinn in?"

Rachel didn't want to betray Quinn's confidence, but she was beyond worried and afraid for her girlfriend's safety at this point. There was no sense in lying, and Puck needed to know the situation he was about to potentially walk into. "She's been staying with me for the last two weeks," she finally said.

He frowned, putting the pieces together. "She didn't fall in the shower, did she?"

"No," Rachel whispered angrily.

Puck's fists clenched tightly around the steering wheel of his truck. "Who hurt her?"

"Her father," she replied, feeling her desire to protect Quinn surge.

"And to think, I used to wish my dad was more like him," he said with a bitter laugh. "They're both deadbeats." He frowned again, clearly upset. "I'm such an idiot," he lamented. "I saw bruises sometimes, but Quinn always said they were from soccer or knocking into something."

"Noah, you're not an idiot," Rachel argued with a shake of her head. "Quinn didn't want anyone to know, and she did a really good job of hiding it. I think the only reason she told me was because I kept pushing."

"I should have pushed too though," he shot back. "But she was so convincing—I really thought she was okay. But when you asked me, and I just brushed it off like it was nothing… I'm the worst best friend ever."

"No you're not," she said hotly. "You're a great best friend. Don't blame yourself for this, Noah." As the words came out of her mouth, she realized they were as much for herself as they were for him. "The only one who's at fault here is Quinn's father for hurting her." She let out a steadying breath, but found it didn't help much. "I just hope we're not too late."

Those words seemed to galvanize Puck, and his foot pressed down further on the pickup truck's accelerator as his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

_Please be okay, Quinn. We're coming,_ Rachel said silently, closing her eyes and trying to push down her worry. _We're coming._

* * *

Quinn covered her head protectively with her arms, only vaguely aware of the pain shooting through her right elbow. A much more acute pain was at play. Her father had abandoned his belt and was reduced to pummeling her body with his fists. She attempted to curl in on herself and tried to roll over onto her right side in an effort to protect her barely healed ribs from further damage. But her attempts were thwarted when the all-too-familiar sensation of a large hand fisting itself in her hair pulled her to her knees.

Her head was jerked back, and her neck craned to an awkward angle. Pain lanced through her torso at having to extend itself after such a thorough beating. Her jaw hung open as she gasped for air—breathing was still difficult since she hadn't quite caught her breath since having the wind knocked out of her.

Hazel eyes glossed over as she was forced to meet her father's angry gaze.

"You're nothing but a disappointment," he gritted out just before delivering another blow to her stomach. Her body tried to double over, but the hand fisted in her hair made it impossible.

Quinn's eyes widened in fear, silently begging her father to stop, as she gaped—pitifully rasping in an attempt for air.

"Look at you," he growled angrily as he slapped her across the face, and this time the tears fell. "You're a pathetic disgrace."

Her arms fell uselessly to her sides as the feelings of shame and worthlessness continued to build as the blows continued to fall.

* * *

Puck hadn't even pulled his truck to a complete stop at the curb outside the Fabray home, but Rachel was out and running toward the front door, needing to get to Quinn as soon as possible. The lights were off except for the flicker of what appeared to be light from a television from a window on the top floor.

She was only vaguely aware of Puck running up behind her and her fathers bringing their car to a stop behind the boy's pickup truck, far too focused on making sure Quinn was safe.

Rachel swallowed the lump of fear in her throat and pressed the doorbell, listening as it rang throughout an otherwise silent house. She wondered who would answer the door—Russell or Judy—and braced herself for either possibility. Although, right now, she was fairly certain that she would deck either one of them given the opportunity.

There was no answer.

Her fathers ran up the driveway as she tried the bell a second time.

Still no answer.

Soon, Puck was banging urgently on the door as Rachel stepped back, looking up at the window with dark blue light flickering out.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home," he gritted out. "Where the hell are they?"

"Someone's home," Rachel said, eyes darting around at the other windows. "They're just not answering."

"Over here," Leroy called out from the driveway as he moved toward the garage door.

"What is it, Daddy?" Rachel asked, running toward him.

"There's a light on in the garage," he said, pointing at one of the small windows that had a shade covering it, but it still wasn't enough to stop a sliver of light from peaking through.

Rachel was absolutely worried out of her mind at this point and was about to pound her fist against the garage door, desperate to get to Quinn, but Puck caught her hand in mid-swing before it could make contact with the dark wood. She looked at him questioningly, wanting to protest, but the look in his eyes stopped her.

"I got this," he said, flipping up the cover on the keypad and punching in the code.

Her eyes fixated on the garage door lifting, and as soon as it was up enough for her to slip under, she was surging forward, praying that she wasn't too late to help Quinn.

* * *

"Get the hell off her!" a voice boomed through the garage.

Suddenly, the hold on Quinn was released as the blows abruptly ceased, causing her body to collapse to the ground in a heap. She looked up just in time to see what looked to be Puck tackling her father's body, sending the man crashing into the shelf behind them.

Before she could even wonder what he was doing there, she was being gently gathered up in familiar, protective arms. It hurt, but she didn't mind because it was a welcome relief to the abuse she had been suffering for God knew how long.

"Quinn," came the sound of Rachel's concerned voice, and Quinn swore she could hear tears in her voice.

_Rachel._ She tried to say her name, but she was still gasping pitifully for air as she gazed up at tear-filled brown eyes.

Seconds later, Hiram and Leroy stepped in front of them, forcing Quinn to tear her gaze away from Rachel. Hiram crouched down alongside Quinn, but she barely paid him any mind—her attention had been caught by her father shoving Puck off of him.

Puck looked like he was about to deck her father, but Leroy grabbed him from behind. He said something to the boy, but it was either too quiet or Quinn was too out of it for her to make out what it was he said.

Still, Puck's menacing gaze never faltered, and her father didn't back down either.

"Quinn's coming with us," Leroy stated, unable to keep the righteous fury from his voice, and incredulous blue eyes turned on him. "You should be ashamed to call yourself a father."

"You have no right to tell me how to discipline my child," he spat angrily, pointing his index finger threateningly at him. "Get off my property or else I'll-"

"Or else you'll what?" Rachel shot back then, never releasing her protective hold on Quinn, who had finally managed to catch her breath. "Call the police? Please do."

His blue eyes narrowed dangerously, as his fists clenched at his sides as he took a step toward them.

"Back off," Puck commanded, pressing a hard palm against Russell's chest, halting his movements.

"Don't you dare touch me," he threatened lowly before his fist shot out unexpectedly, catching Puck's left cheek. His head jerked back, and Quinn felt her heart jump into her throat at the sight.

Guilt immediately consumed her. Now other people were being hurt because of her.

Before Puck could even retaliate, there was a blur of movement. To Quinn's utter surprise, Leroy had Russell pinned against the cement wall of the garage—his larger body overpowering that of her father. He struggled against Leroy's grip to no avail.

"You're disgusting, hitting a child," Leroy gritted out. "_Any_ child. You're the worst kind of excuse there is for a man." Never releasing his hold or his gaze on Russell, he spoke to the others. "Get Quinn out of here."

Quinn felt Rachel's protective arms gently bring her up to stand with Hiram's help, but her eyes were locked on Puck's.

His light brown eyes held so much regret and guilt, and Quinn couldn't help but feel guilty as well. He _knew_. And that thought terrified her.

It was only when the discomfort from the newly forming bruises on her body decided to make themselves known that the connection broke. She hissed in pain, and Rachel murmured soothing words in her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the comfort, love, and protection radiating from her girlfriend and ignoring the anger and disappointment coming from her father.

She could practically feel his eyes boring angrily into her, and she had no doubt that if Leroy hadn't been pinning him in place, hateful epitaphs and harsh blows would still be raining down on her.

And the realization of that truth made her heart break for the millionth time, and the tears began to fall again.

It wasn't until she was laid down in the back of Puck's pickup truck that she was able to focus on anything but that reality.

Rachel was brushing her cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "Don't cry, Quinn," she murmured, before pressing her soft lips to her face.

Soon, that mouth was everywhere, kissing away her tears, soothing the tension that had built up in her. Those soft lips pressed lightly against her forehead, her eyebrows, the corners of her eyes. Quinn's breath caught in her throat, and soon all she was aware of was Rachel's touch.

Her eyelids fluttered shut, and Rachel's lips brushed against them, before moving down, touching the bridge of her nose, her cheeks, her jaw, her chin, the corners of her mouth, and then, finally, her lips.

It tasted sweet and sad all at once, and Quinn—feeling a surge of mixed emotions, and needing Rachel to soothe her—pressed up into the kiss.

Rachel took in a deep breath, and expelled it softly through her nose. Quinn felt it waft against her cheek, and pressed harder into her girlfriend's lips.

After long moments, and a vague awareness of the road rumbling beneath them and the growing ache in her muscles, Quinn broke their kiss.

With a furrowed brow, she laid her head in Rachel's lap, trying to focus on the soothing fingers now running through her blonde locks. She let out a shaky breath, and despite her attempts to keep her emotions in, she began to cry quietly again.

"Oh, Quinn," Rachel said softly, drawing Quinn into her as gently as possible.

Burying her head into Rachel's stomach and tightening her arms around her torso, Quinn let go, crying freely into her girlfriend's shirt.

"Shh," she tried to soothe her. "You'll be okay. You're safe now."

The night's events crashed over her then, and Quinn knew that there was no going back.

And while she knew that Rachel's words were true, her heart still broke at what she knew would probably never be repaired.


	17. Chapter 17

Rachel mashed her lips together in an effort to keep from crying as Quinn broke down in her arms in the back of Puck's pickup truck. She tried to let out a steadying breath, reminding herself that she had to be strong for her girlfriend. But she couldn't stop her thoughts from going back to what she had witnessed earlier in the Fabrays' garage.

She had never been as terrified as she had been tonight, and actually _seeing_ Russell Fabray beating his daughter with her own eyes had made her feel incredible rage and helplessness all at once. She could still hear Quinn's pained cries in her mind, and all she could think was that she had failed her.

She had promised that she would take care of Quinn—that she would be safe and protected with her. But somehow Quinn had ended up back in the situation Rachel wanted nothing more than to keep her out of forever.

It wasn't until Puck's truck came to a stop in the parking lot of St. Rita's that Rachel finally was able to bring herself back to the present.

Quinn shifted in her arms, and Rachel didn't miss the grimace that crossed her face. Quinn looked up at her then—eyes swollen from crying and, to Rachel's chagrin, new bruises on her face evident under the parking lot lights. "Where are we?"

"The hospital," she replied quietly.

Quinn swallowed thickly and tried to shake her head. "No. Rach… I… I'm fine."

"Quinn, this isn't the time to be stubborn. You're…" her voice broke then, unable to keep her emotions reined in. "You're not fine."

"Please, Rachel," Quinn begged, and she didn't miss the look of shame in hazel eyes. "Just take me back to your house."

Puck made his presence known then, leaning over the bed of his truck, his eyes immediately falling on Quinn. Rachel noticed that a shiner was forming under his left eye from where Russell had hit him. It looked like he might have been crying as well if his bloodshot eyes were any indication.

"You alright, Q?" he asked gruffly.

"I'll be okay," she said. Her brow furrowed then, and Rachel didn't miss the look of guilt in both her girlfriend's and Puck's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said after a beat, clenching his jaw.

"Don't be," Quinn replied. "Just take me back to Rachel's."

Puck glanced at Rachel questioningly, and she shook her head.

"Rachel, please," Quinn said, clearly in pain. "I promise I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. But I can't do this right now."

"Quinn," she tried again, running her fingers lightly through blonde hair. "I know this is hard. I do. But please try to understand this from my point of view. If it were me in your position, would you let me wait another day?"

Quinn closed her eyes in frustration. Rachel watched as her jaw clenched—causing another grimace to cross her features. Her heart broke at the sight, and without hesitation, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Quinn's forehead. "Please let me take care of you. Let me make this up to you," she murmured against her skin.

She felt Quinn relent, and it was with equal parts relief and sadness that she broke away from her, allowing Puck to help her girlfriend out of his truck.

* * *

Quinn let out a pained hiss as Dr. Gidwani, who happened to be working the ER that night, examined her swollen right elbow. Her arm wouldn't straighten, and she watched as the doctor frowned slightly.

"Can you feel your fingers?" he asked.

She simply nodded, trying to keep her emotions under wraps.

"Well, the good news is that your elbow isn't dislocated, but it is sprained," he announced before turning sympathetic eyes on her, and she immediately averted her gaze. "I'll give you a soft brace for it, but in a few days it should feel alright," he continued. "I'll also prescribe you some painkillers to help with the rest of your injuries."

She knew he wasn't stupid. He hadn't needed her or Rachel's fathers to explain anything. He just seemed to know. Of course, one look at her other injuries was pretty much a giveaway. She couldn't explain this away as simply falling. Her back and legs were covered in welts from her father's belt, and her stomach and face sported bruises from his fists.

It was so embarrassing, and even though Rachel was right there with her, helping her out of her soccer jersey—stretched from where her fathers hands had fisted themselves in the material—and into her hospital gown, it did little to comfort her. Rachel had seen the worst of it, and Quinn didn't miss how her fists tightened in anger as Dr. Gidwani had checked her body over.

She trusted Rachel. She did. But she never wanted her to _see_ this. She never wanted _anyone_ to see this. Rachel, her dads, Puck… they all saw it—saw how little her father thought of her, and it tore at her pride.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn," Rachel said from her seat next to Quinn's bed, causing her to look up and meet contrite brown eyes. Before she could even think of what to say in reply, Rachel was speaking again. "The idea of anything bad happening to you kills me, and tonight," she paused, letting out a shaky breath as she reached over and laced her fingers with Quinn, "I was so afraid, Quinn." Brown eyes teared up. "I'll never let anything bad happen to you again."

Hazel eyes shined with unshed tears, and it was then that Quinn realized that even though Rachel had witnessed something she had never wished her to, there was no reason to feel shame. Because for some reason, when Rachel looked at her, she didn't see what Quinn saw. And Quinn had never been so thankful for that than right now. Rachel just being Rachel was exactly what she needed.

"I love you," Quinn said, leaning over—ignoring the pain that lanced through her torso at the movement—and pressing her lips to Rachel's, filling her kiss with all the gratitude and love she felt.

As their kiss broke, Quinn finally realized that Dr. Gidwani wasn't in the examining room and hadn't been for some time.

"Where did the doctor go?" she asked quietly.

Rachel smiled sympathetically. "He left to get a nurse to give you some painkillers until we can go get your prescription filled. Then we can leave, okay?"

She sighed and nodded. She just wanted to get out of this place—go someplace where she could hideaway with Rachel.

* * *

Unfortunately, hiding wasn't an option. As soon as she arrived back at Rachel's house and was settled on the couch, Hiram dropped a bomb on her.

"We called child services. They're sending a case worker. She'll be here within an hour."

She nodded dumbly, not knowing what to say to that. What could she say, really? She knew things with her father had reached a tipping point, but it still felt awful.

Rachel sat beside her, doing her best to comfort her, while Puck settled down on the loveseat that was cattycornered against the couch. He hadn't said very much, and Quinn was grateful for it. She knew they'd have to talk about it eventually, but she didn't think she could handle it right now.

"Do you need anything?" Rachel asked softly.

_God, what a loaded question,_ Quinn thought, even though she knew Rachel didn't mean it that way. The one thing she needed right now she was pretty sure she couldn't get—her father not to think she was such a screw up.

She frowned, trying to push down the tears that were threatening, as she shook her head and closed her eyes, slumping further into the couch. She was physically exhausted, but she couldn't get her mind to stop racing. It was a feeling she was well acquainted with, except this time it was more than a little different.

A case worker from child services would be here any minute. Everything was going to change, and Quinn wasn't sure she was ready for it.

* * *

Rachel's fingers nervously played with her mug of tea while Puck stood against her kitchen's island, his hands stuffed in his pockets. They were both anxious.

The case worker had arrived a half hour ago and was speaking privately with Quinn in the den. Rachel hadn't wanted to leave her alone, but the interview was something that needed to be done one-on-one, and Quinn had insisted that she would be okay.

"I can't believe I had no idea this was happening to her," Puck said after a few more moments of tense silence. In the bright lights of her kitchen, the bruise under his eye was even more glaring. "I swear, if I ever see her dad again, I'm going to beat his ass."

"Believe me, I would like nothing more than to do the same," she said, feeling her anger towards Russell surge at the thought of him having hurt Quinn.

Puck's phone rang then, and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the caller ID before sighing and walking out of the room to answer it, but Rachel could still hear his end of the conversation. "Yeah, hi, Mom," he said. "Yeah, I know it's late." There was a pause, and Rachel looked up at the clock. It was nearing midnight. Despite the hour, she didn't feel tired at all. She supposed it was all the adrenaline and worry keeping her going. "Okay. Bye, Mom."

"I have to go," Puck announced reluctantly as he walked back into the kitchen. He glanced towards the den.

"Noah, it's okay," Rachel said, getting up from her seat. "I'll tell Quinn you said goodbye."

"Okay," he said with a said sigh, rubbing his forehead before looking back at Rachel. He suddenly had her wrapped in a warm hug, and she let herself get swept up in it. It seemed to ease both of their anxiety and helplessness over the situation. "See you tomorrow, Rach."

"Goodnight, Noah."

* * *

"How did it go?" Rachel asked after helping Quinn up the stairs to her bedroom. Her fathers were still downstairs in the den talking to the case worker to discuss Quinn's staying at the Berry household until something official was worked out. Rachel had overheard something about "the state" and "custody," but not much else.

"Okay, I guess," Quinn said. Rachel didn't miss the sadness in her voice. "She's going to my house to speak with my parents tomorrow. I told her my dad has off on Fridays." She swallowed thickly. "He's not going to like that too much."

"Don't worry about what he'll like," Rachel said, trying to keep her anger toward Quinn's father out of her voice. "The important thing is that you're here, and that you're safe now.

"Yeah…" she agreed with a sad sigh, staring at the carpet.

Rachel could tell Quinn wanted to say more, but she wasn't about to push. It was late and so much had already happened tonight. She was sure her girlfriend was exhausted.

"Come on, let me help you get ready for bed," she said softly, taking Quinn's hand in hers. She saw uncertainty in hazel eyes, so she leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to her girlfriend's lips before drawing back. "I love you, and I'm going to take care of you, okay?"

Quinn nodded slightly, her uncertainty fading. "Okay," she breathed out. "I love you, too."

* * *

It took a long time for Quinn to find a comfortable position to lie in with all the bruises covering her body. Even with the pain medication, everything still hurt.

Lying on her stomach was out of the question—the bruises covering her stomach made it too uncomfortable to put any pressure on it, let alone straighten her body. Her back body was a mass of bruises and welts. Just the thought of how she had gotten them was almost enough to get her crying all over again. She bit down on her lower lip to keep her tears at bay.

Finally, she settled on her left side, curling in on herself slightly. Rachel then shifted as close as she could without actually touching her body and reached over, clasping her left hand with Quinn's right. It comforted her, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling sadly.

There were so many nights that she had fallen asleep in pain—never this badly, of course—but she had always been alone, hiding in shame of her secret.

She wasn't alone anymore. She didn't have to hide from Rachel.

There was still so much uncertainty ahead, and her heart hurt from everything surrounding her family situation. But she was tired of thinking right now—the night's events overwhelming and painful—and so she did what had become her preferred way of forgetting all the bad things in her life. She lost herself in Rachel—the feel of her soft hand in hers, the gentle press of her lips against her temple, and the whispered declarations of love.

Rachel wanted to take care of her, and, right now, Quinn needed her to.


	18. Chapter 18

It had been a rough night. Every time Quinn shifted in her sleep, it seemed to aggravate her bruised and sore body, causing her to wake up in pain, and Rachel had been unable to sleep through it. Not that she wanted to. But she felt utterly helpless lying there next to Quinn, unable to soothe her.

It was early morning now, and Quinn had managed to get back to sleep, but Rachel remained awake. She gazed at her girlfriend's battered body and felt tears spring to her eyes. It broke her heart to see Quinn like this—her face covered in bruises, her elbow wrapped in a brace, and deep impressions of fingertips on her bare arms from where her father had gripped her too tightly. The worst was covered up, but Rachel couldn't forget what she had seen at the hospital last night and when she had helped Quinn get ready for bed. Her torso was a mass of welts and bruises, and Rachel dreaded to think how much worse it would have been if she and Puck and her fathers had not shown up when they did.

It was a terrifying thought, and she began to cry softly—not only over the idea of something worse potentially happening to Quinn but because of all she had already endured.

Quinn shifted slightly, causing a pained whimper to escape her lips. Rachel didn't miss the grimace that crossed her face. Leaning over, she pressed a soft kiss to her brow, hoping to soothe her. Hazel eyes cracked open then, gazing up at her, and Rachel could clearly see pain in them.

"Why are you crying?" Quinn asked, her voice thick with sleep and discomfort.

"Because you're hurt," Rachel replied softly, trying to get her tears under control.

"Not your fault," she murmured.

Rachel wanted to tell Quinn that it also wasn't her fault but bit down on the words that threatened to spill out, knowing that it wouldn't help right now. "I know," she said instead, brushing her fingers gently through blonde locks. Quinn's eyes closed briefly as she soaked in her ministrations, and the sight was enough to calm her somewhat. "Can I get you anything?"

"Percocet," Quinn replied quietly.

Always prepared, Rachel turned toward her nightstand where she had left a glass of water and Quinn's prescription. She quickly got out a pill and grabbed the glass of water before turning back to see Quinn pushing herself up onto her left forearm, struggling a bit. "Let me help."

"No, I'm okay," Quinn said, her voice a little tight.

Rachel frowned, but there wasn't anything else she could do since Quinn was already in position. She handed the percocet to her girlfriend, and as she watched her swallow the pill, she couldn't help but wonder if it was actually doing anything considering how bad last night was.

"Does it help at all?"

"Yeah," Quinn said, slowly lowering herself back down onto the mattress, letting out a small hiss as she did so.

Rachel immediately reached out and resumed running her fingers soothingly through Quinn's hair. "It doesn't seem like it is. You were tossing and turning all night."

"It takes a little while to kick in. It doesn't stop me from feeling pain completely, but it does take the edge off," she explained before hesitating slightly. "But it wasn't just the pain that kept waking me up."

"What was it then?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"Just... thinking about what's going to happen with my dad," Quinn said uncertainly, her eyes unfocused.

"Don't worry about him, okay?" she tried to reassure her. "I won't let him hurt you again."

"That's not what I meant."

When it appeared that Quinn wasn't going to elaborate, Rachel prodded her. "What did you mean then?"

Quinn looked tiredly at her. "I'll tell you later, after you get home from school. Promise."

"I'm staying with you today, okay?" Rachel said. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Thank you," she said with a sad smile before closing her eyes once more. "Can I sleep more first?"

"Whatever you need," Rachel said, settling back down on her bed to lay with Quinn and gently intertwining their fingers, drawing her girlfriend's hand up to her mouth, and pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand. She gazed at her awhile longer until she was certain Quinn had fallen asleep. "I'll keep you safe," she whispered, before pressing her lips against Quinn's hand once more.

* * *

Reluctantly, Rachel finally left Quinn's side to head downstairs where she knew her dad was eating breakfast. He had poked his head in earlier to let her know that he was going to work from home that day in case Quinn needed anything—but mostly it was because they were waiting for a call from Quinn's caseworker.

He had also promised to fill Rachel in on the goings-on—at least to the best of his ability—and it admittedly had her on edge. Everything was still up in the air—things very much still unsettled. All she knew was that she wanted Quinn safe and far away from anyone or anything that would dare to hurt her.

"Hi, Dad," she greeted the man, who was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of coffee while reading the morning paper.

"Morning, hon." He offered her a small smile, setting aside his paper, before getting up to pour her a cup of coffee.

She smiled softly at his back, taking a seat at the table as she watched him. He always took such good care of her, she reflected—both of her parents did. And for the first time ever, that thought made her heart pang with sadness. Her girlfriend—laying in her bed, sleeping not so soundly—had parents who didn't do the same. Things that she had always taken for granted now seemed so precious to her.

"Thank you," she murmured gratefully as he placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of her.

"Can I get you anything else?" he asked. "Want me to make you breakfast?"

"No thank you," she replied. "I'm not very hungry."

"Okay," he replied, settling back down into his seat. He didn't bother with the paper again. "I heard from Holly about 20 minutes ago."

"Quinn's caseworker?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling more alert at his announcement.

He nodded. "She met with the county judge first thing this morning. Quinn has been placed in our custody temporarily."

"Temporarily?" she asked with a furrowed brow. She wanted it to be forever. Or, at least until she and Quinn were able to take care of themselves—she tried to ignore the rational part of her mind that told her that she and Quinn still being together after high school was a pipe dream.

"This is an emergency case, so the state has taken custody away from her parents. Her sister is the closest kin she has, but she is in no condition to take care of Quinn. So family friends will suffice—we fit that description. And Quinn wants to be here, so she's going to be allowed to stay with us. So don't worry, okay, honey?"

Rachel let out a breath of relief, but she still wasn't completely at ease. "What's going to happen next?"

"I don't know," her dad replied with a frown. "Holly can only share so much with me. You might be better off asking Quinn."

She stared down at her coffee, swirling black in the mug, before taking a sip of the strong liquid. She closed her eyes and swallowed, wishing it would somehow calm her.

* * *

Quinn didn't wake up again until the early afternoon. To her surprise, Rachel wasn't in her room, but she soon caught sight of a piece of paper left on Rachel's pillow. Ignoring the twinge of pain in her elbow at the movement, she reached over and grabbed the note so she could read it—learning that Rachel had gone downstairs to make lunch for them.

She smiled softly to herself. It wasn't lost on her how lucky she was to have Rachel. She didn't want to think about where she would be right now without her. But, unfortunately, those thoughts refused to stay away. It was hard to distract herself when she was in this much pain. But perhaps worse than that was all the uncertainty surrounding her right now. She remembered what the caseworker had said to her last night, and it made her heart feel heavy.

Trying to ignore the ache in her muscles, she pushed herself out of bed and made her way to the bathroom so she could relieve herself. When she was finished, she braced her hands against the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror and the deep purple that marred her face. How many times had she tried to cover up bruises—pretend that everything was fine—only for her father to hit her again? Her fingers tightened, pressing into the porcelain beneath her fingertips as she willed her tears from falling.

The sound of Rachel calling her name interrupted her thoughts, and she let out sharp breath through her nose as she closed her eyes—trying to shake off all thoughts of her father.

Certain she had her emotions mostly under control, Quinn opened her eyes and turned to leave the bathroom. When she opened the door, she was met with the sight of her girlfriend standing in her bedroom holding a tray of sandwiches and iced tea. Upon spotting Quinn, Rachel quickly set the tray down on her desk and made her way over to Quinn.

"Hey," Rachel said quietly, gazing up at her. "You alright?"

"Not really," she admitted quietly, unable to hide what she was feeling from Rachel any longer. And she found that she didn't really want to.

Rachel leaned up then and pressed a kiss to Quinn's lips, and her eyes slid shut at the sensation, allowing Rachel's affections to momentarily soothe her. "I love you," she murmured as she pulled back.

"I love you too," Quinn breathed out, opening her eyes once more to meet Rachel's warm brown.

They stood like that for a moment longer, gazing into each others' eyes—Quinn quietly drawing strength from her girlfriend.

"I made us lunch," Rachel finally said, gently clasping onto Quinn's left hand and pulling her back into the bedroom to settle down on her bed.

Sitting side-by-side, they quietly ate their food, but Quinn barely tasted it. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't keep her mind from wandering to less pleasant thoughts—thoughts that had plagued her for much of the night.

As if reading her mind, Rachel set her plate on the bedside table and looked at Quinn intently before asking, "Are you up for talking about last night?"

Quinn worried her lower lip with her teeth as she stared at her half-eaten sandwich. "What part of last night?" she finally asked, setting her plate to the side.

"What was keeping you up?" Rachel asked.

Now that was something she could talk about—at least with Rachel. So long as she didn't have to talk about what her father had done to her—not just last night, but countless nights before—she was more or less okay with it. "Things the caseworker said," she admitted truthfully.

"What did she say?"

"She said that their goal is to keep families together, but sometimes it can't always be done," Quinn explained, trying to keep the anxiousness she felt over the situation from taking over. "I…" She swallowed. "I didn't really give her too many details about what happened last night. But she knew it was bad just by looking at me, and she said that after what happened, child services are going to try and get the state to gain temporary custody of me. The caseworker—Holly—she asked about you guys."

"I know," Rachel said, keeping her voice steady. "My father told me that the county judge said that you'll be staying here with us."

Quinn let out a sigh—it was both a mixture of pain and relief. She was glad to be staying with the Berrys, but at the same time, there was still so much uncertainty. "But for how long?"

"For however long it takes to make things right," Rachel replied without missing beat, placing her hand on top of Quinn's and gently rubbing her thumb back and forth.

"What if things can _never_ be made right?" she asked, barely suppressing the tears that were threatening as she tightened her hold on the brunette's hand.

"Oh, Quinn," Rachel breathed, gently drawing Quinn into her arms, careful not to press too firmly again her bruised body.

"What if they send me away?" she continued, barely able to focus on the comforting embrace of her girlfriend and only on the harsh reality she was in.

"They won't," Rachel replied firmly, pressing her lips to Quinn's temple. "They won't," she repeated. "We won't let them. _I_ won't let them, Quinn," she added, and Quinn felt herself melt into her girlfriend, wishing and hoping that Rachel would make those words a reality. "I promised I would keep you safe. And I will."

They sat together in comfortable silence for several moments—Quinn content to simply soak in the affections of her girlfriend.

"I love you," she murmured against Rachel's shoulder, her voice quiet and vulnerable.

"I love you, too," Rachel responded. "I love you, too."

And for a brief moment, she thought everything could be alright.

* * *

It wasn't until Puck came by later that day that Quinn realized just how messed up everything was.

The two of them were sitting alone in Rachel's den while her girlfriend was busying herself in the kitchen with kosher vegan snacks. She knew that Rachel didn't want to leave her side, but Rachel hadn't missed the look that passed between her and Puck. They needed to talk about this alone. So Rachel had reluctantly left, but not before pressing a kiss to Quinn's lips and whispering words of affection.

"How do you feel?" Puck asked, his hands jammed into his pockets as he sat on the arm of the loveseat facing Quinn, who was resting on the couch.

"Like a punching bag," she replied trying to keep her tone light but failing miserably. Despite the help of her prescription, she ached too much to hide it—especially from him, considering all he had seen last night.

He frowned, and Quinn sighed, breaking their gaze and staring down at her hands in her lap.

"How come you never told me?" he asked after a minute.

"I didn't want you to know. I didn't want _anyone_ to know."

"I get that, you know," he said.

She looked up at him questioningly then.

"No one really knows about what it's like in my house either. I mean, you _kinda_ do because you hang out there so much, but we never really talk about heavy stuff." He sighed and ran a hand through his mohawk before continuing. "But the truth is, it sucks not having my old man around. And yeah, I always talk him up—about what a badass rock 'n' roll guy he is—but honestly, he's a really shitty dad. He doesn't care enough about us to even bother sticking around.

"So I get it, Q. And I'm sorry that I wasn't there sooner. If I had known, I-"

"I know, Puck," Quinn interrupted. She appreciated what he was saying—it made her feel good, knowing he was in her corner—but at the same time, she didn't want to hear it. "It doesn't matter now."

"Of course it does," he shot back. "You're still hurting. Shit, Quinn. I mean, Invitationals is tomorrow, and you can barely walk."

Her face fell at the realization. With all that had happened in the last 24 hours, it had completely slipped her mind. There was no way she could sing and dance. And the party. God, she was such a crappy girlfriend—ruining something that Rachel had been so excited about.

"What are the courts going to do about him?" he continued, oblivious to Quinn's inner turmoil. "He should be sent to jail."

And there it was—the thing that had her almost as worried as being sent away somewhere was the thought of her father being sent away. She tried to hold onto what Holly had said about the goal being to keep her family together, but she honestly didn't see how that was possible after last night. It was one thing to leave Lima on her own merits—like her sister did. It was another to have it broken apart like this.

"The caseworker is still conducting an investigation," she explained quietly. "She's supposed to visit my parents today. So I don't know what's going to happen." It was the truth, but she wasn't willing to divulge her worries to Puck.

"Yeah, I know. She called my house to set up a time to talk to me. Got my mom asking me all kinds of questions about where I got my shiner. She's pretty ticked off."

Her gaze fell to his black eye, and she frowned guiltily, barely registering the fact that Mrs. Puckerman at least had an idea of what was going on in her home.

"Don't look at me like that, Quinn. This," he said, pointing at the bruise, "is _not_ your fault. And this is nothing compared to what he did to you." Quinn's heart dropped into her stomach at the reminder. "I know he's your dad and everything, but I hope he's charged with assault."

She opened her mouth to reply, but promptly shut it. She did not want to be having this conversation—she had _never_ wanted to have this conversation with him. She just wanted everything to be okay. For the millionth time in her life, she wished that what she projected about herself to the outside world to be her reality.

Her fear of people knowing the truth was becoming more real by the day, and if her dad was charged with assault, then _everyone_ in Lima would find out, wouldn't they?

"Is it okay for me to come in yet?" Rachel's voice sounded from the doorway, and Quinn let out a breath of relief.

"Yeah, Rach," she said, grateful for her girlfriend's reappearance, meeting Puck's eyes for a brief moment. She was pretty sure he understood that she was done talking about this.

"I actually should get going—we have our last game of the season tonight," he said to both of them as Rachel made her way back to the room, setting a small spread of food down on the coffee table. "Take care of my lesbro, Rach."

"I will, Noah," she replied with a small smile as she settled back down besides Quinn on the couch.

"Later, Quinn," he said, casting one last meaningful look in her direction, which she returned with a nod, before heading out.

"Is everything okay between you and Noah?" Rachel asked once he had gone.

"We're fine," she murmured, sinking further into the couch. "It's just weird talking to him about this. I'm not used to it."

"I understand," Rachel replied, gently resting her hand on Quinn's knee and rubbing her thumb against her jeans. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Quinn considered talking about what she and Puck had just discussed—particularly the subject of tomorrow's performance—but she really wasn't feeling up for it. "Can we just watch a movie or something?"

"Of course," Rachel agreed easily, hitting the power button on the remote. "Whatever you want."

As they sat together watching a rerun of _King of Queens_, Quinn tried not to think about what was going on in her house across town. If her father had already met with Holly or if they were talking right now. How he was undoubtedly angry with her.

Trying to push those thoughts away, Quinn reached for Rachel's hand that was still resting on her knee, interlacing their fingers together. She wished so much that they could be cuddling right now, but her skin was too raw and her muscles too sore for that, so she had to settle for this.

Still, the amount of comfort she felt from such a small gesture amazed her. Rachel's presence alone was enough to lessen the ache in her heart.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note:** Songs featured in this chapter: "Unexpected Song" from the musical _Song & Dance_. And, of course, "Somebody to Love" by Queen.

* * *

The first thing Rachel was met with when she entered the choir room was the sight of Kurt applying cover up to Puck's face while Mercedes looked on. There was a faint look of disapproval in her eyes, and not for the first time, Rachel wondered what Puck had told people in regards to how he got his black eye.

Not that she thought he would betray Quinn's confidence, but she knew he had to tell people something. And that thought sent her a painful reminder that this was what Quinn probably went through all the time. Constantly thinking of excuses—lies to tell people—to deflect their attention from what was really going on.

Which was exactly what she herself was about to do. She didn't have any qualms about lying to protect Quinn, but the fact that she even needed to do this at all broke her heart.

"Hey, Rachel," Finn greeted her with a half smile, drawing her attention up to her best friend. "I missed you yesterday."

"I missed you too, Finn," she replied with a half-hearted smile.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "It's not like you to be late—you're usually super early."

"Things actually could be better," she admitted, breaking their gaze and taking a quick inventory of the room. Everyone was there except the person she wished could be. Her eyes quickly found Finn's again. "If you'll excuse me, there's an announcement I need to make."

He looked at her questioningly, but stepped aside, allowing her to come further into the room.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Rachel called out, causing everyone to pause in what they were doing. Eleven sets of eyes gazed upon her curiously. Unable to hide her feelings completely, her mouth curved down into a slight frown. "I regret to inform you that Quinn will be unable to perform with us this afternoon."

"What, why not?" Brittany asked, completely bewildered. Behind her, Santana stood, braiding blonde hair and looking at Rachel through narrowed eyes.

"She's unwell," Rachel explained, her frown growing at the thought of her girlfriend laid up in her bed back home. She didn't want to leave her, but Quinn insisted that the show go on without her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rachel," Mr. Schuester said contritely, and the rest of New Directions murmured their agreement.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive," Kurt said after a moment, "but can we even perform without Quinn? I thought we needed twelve people to be eligible. We're short one without her."

Their teacher frowned in realization, but it was obvious he was unsure of what it meant for New Directions' performance. In any other circumstance, Rachel would most likely be annoyed by his lack of knowledge of the rules, but right now, she didn't care. Not when Quinn's wellbeing was at the forefront of her mind.

"We can still perform," Rachel said, wishing so badly that Quinn could be with them today, and still unable to let go of her own guilt over what had happened. "It's an Invitational, which means we're simply hosting this event. We're not taking the stage in competition, but rather in exhibition. We can't be disqualified if we're not competing."

"Good point," Artie replied.

"But what about the choreography?" Tina asked. "Quinn not being here throws off the group number."

"We'll have to improvise, guys," Mr. Schuester said. "You, Mike, Matt, and Brittany can take the lead. The most important thing is having fun out there."

Everyone smiled at their teacher's words of encouragement—everyone except Rachel, Puck, and the captain of the Cheerios.

* * *

"Mr. Berry, really, you should go to the performance. Don't miss seeing Rachel on my account," Quinn pleaded with Hiram, who had just brought her up some soup for lunch.

"Quinn, it's fine," he insisted, setting the tray down on Rachel's bedside table. "My husband will be videotaping the show, so we'll both be able to see it later. I feel better knowing someone is here with you in case you need anything."

"Thanks," she murmured, still feeling a little guilty for making him miss Invitationals. And then there was still the guilt she felt about missing this afternoon's performance. She just hoped that it didn't throw things off too much. "Has Holly called at all today?"

"Nothing new," he replied.

She sighed. She was anxious to know what had happened yesterday during the case worker's visit to her house.

"It's going to take some time to sort everything out," Hiram said, leaning against Rachel's desk and looking at her kindly. "And I know that it's not going to be easy, but we'll do whatever we can to help. I'm sorry that you've had to go through this alone for so long."

"It's…" Quinn trailed off. Her instinct was to say it was "fine," but it wasn't. She wondered if she'd ever be able to talk about this without feeling ashamed.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it with me," he said. "I don't expect you to, actually." He smiled sympathetically as he pushed himself off the dresser, readying himself to leave Quinn in peace. "Let me know if you need anything else, okay?"

"Thanks, Mr. Berry," she said softly, grateful for how understanding Rachel's parents were, but wishing her own parents could be half as good to her as the Berry men were.

* * *

After zipping up her boots, Rachel stood up, only to find Santana standing mere feet away and moving closer—quickly encroaching on her space. Before she could even think to react, Santana gripped lightly on her upper arm and pulled her into an unoccupied corner of the choir room.

"Okay, Berry, spill," Santana said lowly, her expression one of deadly seriousness.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Santana," Rachel said, trying to slip out of Santana's hold.

"Cut the crap," she bit out, tightening her grip and holding Rachel in place. "I _know_ Puckerman didn't get that black eye from roughhousing with Jeremy. He was at Breadstix with me and Brits on Thursday night. And you're about as subtle as a brick smashing through a window. I saw it the second you walked in the door—the way you looked at Puck—_you _know how he really got it. And I'm pretty damn sure it has something to do with why Quinn has been avoiding me, why neither of you were in school yesterday, and why she isn't here right now."

The concern and worry was evident in Santana's brown eyes, and Rachel bit her lower lip nervously. She knew it wasn't her place to tell anyone what was going on with Quinn, but at the same time, Santana deserved to know. After all, she was one of Quinn's closest friends.

"You're right, Santana. But I can't tell you what's going on. You need to ask Quinn."

"Yeah, and how am I supposed to do that if her phone is shut off or lost or whatever bullshit she says it is?"

Rachel sighed. "Do it in person. Tonight, after the performance." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "She'll be at my house, even if she's not at the party."

Santana looked alarmed at that. "I'd ask why she's at your house, but I already know you won't tell me. I guess that's just another one of those things I'll be asking Q, huh?"

Rachel nodded sadly, and the other girl released her arm and walked away, already lost in thought.

* * *

Entering from stage right, Rachel made her way to the center of the stage and into the spotlight. She stared out into the audience—unable to make out their faces—and imagined that Quinn was there watching. Listening.

Taking a deep breath and smiling softly, she announced, "This is for you, Quinn."

When she and Mr. Schuester had picked out her ballad weeks ago, Rachel hadn't realized just how relevant it would be to her life. But as Brad began playing the intro to "Unexpected Song," Rachel knew this performance of the song would be better than any other time she had sung it.

_I have never felt like this  
For once I'm lost for words  
Your smile has really thrown me  
This is not like me at all  
I never thought I'd know  
The kind of love you've shown me_

She closed her eyes, picturing Quinn in her mind—gorgeous hazel eyes filled with adoration and a disarming smile that never failed to make her heart race—as she entered the chorus.

_Now, no matter where I am  
No matter what I do  
I see your face appearing  
Like an unexpected song  
An unexpected song  
That only we are hearing_

_I don't know what is going on  
Can't work it out at all  
Whatever made you choose me  
I just can't believe my eyes  
You look at me as though  
You couldn't bear to lose me_

_Now, no matter where I am  
No matter what I do  
I see your face appearing  
Like an unexpected song  
An unexpected song  
That only we are hearing_

Rachel poured everything she felt for Quinn into her words, baring her soul for all the world to see and hear.

_I have never felt like this  
For once I'm lost for words  
Your smile has really thrown me  
This is not like me at all  
I never thought I'd know  
The kind of love you've shown me_

_Now, no matter where I am  
No matter what I do  
I see your face appearing  
Like an unexpected song  
An unexpected song  
That only we are hearing_

As she began to repeat the chorus one last time, the curtain behind her started to rise, revealing the members of New Directions.

_Like an unexpected song  
An unexpected song  
That only we are hearing_

Tears were in her eyes as she sang the final note, and the audience immediately responded with enthusiastic applause. Rachel felt the rush that came from their appreciation, and she smiled through her tears and introduced the glee club. "Ladies and gentleman, the New Directions."

As they performed "Somebody to Love"—complete with improvised choreography—Rachel was torn between not having the girl she loved sharing this moment with her onstage and being glad that she had found somebody of her own to love.

* * *

Quinn was finishing applying the last of her cover up—just in case someone should unexpectedly wander upstairs and also because she was tired of seeing her bruised reflection every time she was near a mirror—when she heard knocking on Rachel's door.

"Come in," she replied, glancing over to see Rachel entering the bedroom—still dressed in her blue button down shirt and jeans. She smiled sadly at Quinn and quickly made her way across the room before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "How was the performance?" she asked once they broke apart.

"It felt like something was missing."

Quinn looked down at the top of the vanity and frowned. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize," Rachel said, placing her fingers beneath Quinn's chin and coaxing her head back up, forcing her to meet her gaze. "There's always Sectionals."

She smiled tightly in response. "I know."

Rachel sighed and lowered her hand to interlace with Quinn's atop the vanity. "Everyone's in the basement." She frowned slightly before quietly adding, "It feels wrong to be having this party without you."

"Rachel, we talked about this already," Quinn insisted.

"I know," she replied before hesitating slightly. "Santana and Brittany would like to see you. I told Santana that you were here."

Quinn instantly felt anxious at the prospect. "Rachel…"

"She knows something's up," Rachel continued before she could say more. "And both she and Brittany are worried. I think you should tell them what's going on."

She knew Rachel was right, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy. Quinn gazed into warm brown eyes that shined with love and encouragement. It help a little. "Okay," she finally agreed. "Send them up."

Rachel squeezed her hand lightly and smiled encouragingly at her before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to Quinn's lips. Hazel eyes slid shut as she focused on the feeling of her girlfriend's lips and the comfort it gave her.

After long moments, they finally broke apart, and Quinn let out a steadying breath as she watched Rachel go, praying that talking about this with Santana and Brittany wouldn't be as uncomfortable as it was with Puck.

* * *

"Hey, Quinn," Brittany said as she entered Rachel's room with Santana coming in behind her and offering Quinn a nod in greeting.

"Hey, guys," Quinn greeted her friends easily, finding it difficult not to slip into her usual habits. However, she didn't get up from her seat to greet them. She knew one of Brittany's hugs would have been a painful experience with the physical state she was currently in.

Almost as if knowing her affection wasn't welcome, Brittany bit her lower lip and gazed at Quinn—her blue eyes worried—as she sat down on the bed. Santana looked at her with a similar expression as she sat beside Brittany, and Quinn felt herself grow somewhat uncomfortable with it.

She couldn't do this. But… a part of her knew she should.

"What's going on with you, Q?" Santana asked, getting right to the point—her tone serious and her eyes filled with concern.

"I... Things at home haven't been so good," she admitted after a beat, finally dropping a bit of her façade.

"Is that why you've been staying with Rachel?" Brittany asked.

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise.

"Berry told us that you're staying here," Santana clarified.

She sighed. "Yeah. I've been staying with her for the past few weeks. It's why my mom called your house asking for Rachel's number."

Their expressions of worry only grew with that bit of information, and Quinn suddenly wished this conversation wasn't happening. "I've been trying _really_ hard not to jump to conclusions here," Santana finally said when Quinn had remained silent for too long.

"You're… what do you think is going on?" she asked, not sure how to tell them herself.

"Quinn… I don't want to say it," Santana said, her voice growing even more concerned. "Just please tell us."

"My dad hits me," Quinn said awkwardly, watching as Santana's expression hardened and her fists clenched while Brittany looked like she was about to cry.

"That son of a-" Santana practically growled. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since I was a little kid," she admitted, feeling a rush of nervousness similar to the first time she talked about this with Rachel and, later, Holly. "I mean, it was usually because I was misbehaving. It—I didn't like it, but I deserved it."

Santana's eyes narrowed and Brittany frowned. "People shouldn't hit kids," Brittany said.

"Damn straight, B," Santana agreed before turning her attention back to Quinn. "Why didn't you tell us what was going on, Q? You know we have your back. I would have-"

"Because it's embarrassing, okay," she explained hurriedly, trying not get worked up over it. She let out another steadying breath. "I figured I could deal with it for the next two years, and then do what Frannie did—get the hell out of Lima and never look back. But then, things got bad. Worse than they were for Frannie." Quinn stopped, unable to go into more detail. It was too hard, especially since the bruises from her father's latest beating could still be felt every time she moved.

"I'm really sorry, Quinn," Brittany said contritely when it became clear that Quinn was done talking.

"I'll kick his ass, I swear," Santana muttered, shaking her head.

"You, Puck, and Rachel," Quinn said sadly, wishing that her own father was willing to protect her the way her girlfriend and friends did.

Santana's expression softened a bit. "Is—are they taking good care of you? Rachel and her dads?"

"They've been great," she replied with a sad smile. "Better than my family."

"Have you talked to your sister at all lately?" Brittany asked.

Quinn frowned. "I haven't. I will soon," she said, but didn't elaborate. She knew they would definitely be talking soon, and not just because Frannie was one of the people Holly was going to contact for her investigation.

"Look, I get not wanting to talk about it," Santana said, "but we're here for you. Whatever you need."

"Yeah, like Santana said, we have your back," Brittany added with a soft smile.

"Thanks," she replied, grateful for their support, despite how on edge she felt at having finally told them the truth.

* * *

Nighttime found Rachel and Quinn lying in bed together—Quinn on her left side, while Rachel lay on her right—facing one another. They were both tired—the last few days having taken their toll on them emotionally, and for Quinn, physically.

"How was the party?" Quinn asked as Rachel's fingertips traced absent patterns against the back of her hand.

"Okay, I guess," Rachel replied. Any enjoyment she had was automatically dampened by the circumstances of Quinn's current situation, and there was really nothing she could do about it. "How was your talk with Santana and Brittany?"

"Weird," she answered. "But in a way, I feel a little better not having to hide it from them." She averted her gaze, shifting it to their hands. "I don't know."

They fell silent then, and Rachel stilled in her ministrations—placing her hand over Quinn's and squeezing gently.

"Things will get better."

Quinn furrowed her brow. "I hope so," she said, but Rachel didn't miss the note of despondency in her voice.

"Hey," she said softly but firmly, causing Quinn to look at her again. "It won't be perfect, but it _will_ be better." She raised her girlfriend's hand to her mouth and kissed her palm, never breaking her gaze. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to help you make it better."

That earned her a smile, albeit a small one. "I love you, Rachel," she murmured, clasping Rachel's hand with her own.

"I love you too, Quinn," she replied with a soft smile of her own, tucking her girlfriend's hand beneath her chin, determined to do everything within her power to help Quinn find happiness.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's note:** I know, it's been forever since the last update. So sorry about the wait! I had actually considered ending this story with chapter 19, but upon further reflection, I thought it needed a little more. So here we are, finally, at the end.

Thank you to everyone who has read this story, and especially to those of you who have reviewed. I appreciate every single one of you. :)

And many thanks to poetzproblem for beta-reading this section. :)

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Ready?" Rachel asked, tucking Quinn's scarf into the front of her coat—Quinn's hands too shaky to do it herself—and gazing up at her intently.

Quinn shrugged a little. "As ready as I can be," she admitted.

Rachel leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, calming Quinn's nerves a bit. "For what it's worth, I think you've shown a lot of courage throughout everything," she said, reaching down and interlacing her fingers with Quinn's. "And I think you're very brave for going today."

"It's not like I have a choice," Quinn replied. "I have to be present for the hearing."

"If you had a choice, would you still go?"

Quinn paused to consider for a moment. "Yeah, I would," she said. "I'm a little afraid to see my dad again, but I need to do this. Not knowing what's going to happen to me and my family has been eating away at me." Quinn stopped to let out a steadying breath. Rachel gently squeezed her hands, offering her comfort. "I know that my family is messed up, and I know that the court isn't going to give us some magical fix, but at least now I'll know what's next."

Rachel's lips curve down into a worried frown. "I'm still afraid that the judge is going to make you go back to live with your parents. Or make you go live with your grandparents in Florida."

"That's not going to happen," Quinn said, although there had been a niggling of doubt in her mind, so her words were as much for herself as they were for Rachel.

Her caseworker, Holly, had assured her that the judge would most likely approve child services' case plan for her and her family, as it was clearly in Quinn's best interest. But until everything was finalized, Quinn couldn't rest easy.

"Ready to get this show on the road, kids?" Leroy asked as he and Hiram entered the foyer of the Berry home—Quinn's home for the last month, and, hopefully, her home for the foreseeable future.

"We're ready, Daddy," Rachel replied.

"Is your sister meeting us here or at the courthouse?" Hiram asked Quinn.

"The courthouse," Quinn confirmed. "Tom's driving her."

Frannie and her boyfriend had arrived from Chicago two days prior for the hearing, and the pair was planning on staying in town for Christmas—making their stay in Lima a full week. It was strange having her around after so many years, and Quinn knew they still had a lot to talk about.

But that had to wait for another time. More pressing was the hearing. In just a few short hours, the judge would make his ruling and decide her fate.

Quinn let out another steadying breath as she looked at Rachel and her fathers—momentarily feeling her anxiety give way to gratitude and affection, before the reality of her situation came crashing back down on her. She shook her head and gazed at the front door, thinking about what awaited her. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"On November 4, 2010, Russell Fabray beat his 15-year-old daughter, Quinn Fabray, severely bruising her torso. Mr. Fabray also forcibly pulled on Quinn's arm, spraining her elbow. There were four eye-witnesses to the beating: Hiram and Leroy Berry, their daughter Rachel, and Noah Puckerman. Mr. Puckerman stopped it from continuing.

"Quinn was taken to St. Rita's Hospital where Dr. Gidwani diagnosed her with a sprained elbow. The doctor had also previously treated Quinn for bruised ribs. At that time, he saw many bruises and welts in different stages of healing, indicating that Quinn had been battered many times before.

"Mr. Fabray told CPS that he was only disciplining his child, who he said had been acting out—causing disruptions around the house and disobeying him. Mr. Fabray said that is how he himself learned to be obedient and a good son. Quinn's sister, Francine, who is now a legal adult and no longer lives with the family, claims to have also been subjected to Mr. Fabray's beatings while under his care."

Quinn clenched her jaw as she continued listening to the evidence that was presented to the judge by her caseworker. Her right hand was firmly clasped in Rachel's while her left was encased in her sister's. Her parents were on the other side of the courtroom, but she couldn't bring herself to look at them right now.

Feelings of shame ran hot through her veins as the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father was recounted in front of strangers and family alike. Hearing it out loud like this—so matter of fact—made it hit home even more. She never wanted to admit just how bad it had gotten, but there was no denying it anymore.

There was no point in pretending that everything was okay. Because it wasn't. It was far from okay and had been for a long time.

She just hoped it wasn't too late to do something about it.

"CPS recommends that for Quinn's safety, she not be returned to her home. We feel that it is in her best interest that she remain in Lima so as to continue her studies and extracurricular activities at McKinley High. She has requested to remain with Hiram and Leroy Berry, who have maintained temporary custody of Quinn since the incident on November 4, and we feel this is the best option for her as well. We recommend counseling for both Russell and Judy Fabray with supervised visitation rights in place. We will maintain in close contact with the family and adjust the plan accordingly depending on what progress has been made."

This was it. Holly had presented her case plan, and now she had to wait for the judge to make his ruling.

Quinn closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer.

Bittersweet relief washed over her as the judge ruled in favor of CPS's case plan. She was quickly enveloped in a hug by Rachel, who soon passed her over to Frannie. Holly came over a moment later to talk to her and the Berrys, offering Quinn a sympathetic smile as she gently squeezed her shoulder.

Movement on the other side of the courtroom caught her eye then, and Quinn chanced a glance over, seeing her parents leaving the room. Her eyes met those of her mother, who offered Quinn a remorseful look as she discreetly wiped at her eyes. Hazel eyes then darted to look at her father. He didn't meet her eyes, but he looked angry, confused, and hurt—the latter two something Quinn had never seen him express before.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she watched them exit the courtroom, and the reality that this was what it had come down to hit her. She swallowed, trying to grapple control of the emotion that was threatening to bubble up.

"Hey," Rachel said softly, leaning into her slightly and grabbing Quinn's attention. "You okay?"

"I don't know," Quinn confessed quietly, unable to stop the moisture that formed in her eyes as she gazed down at her girlfriend. "It's weird. I feel so sad and angry, yet so relieved at the same time."

Rachel's arm snaked around her lower back, drawing her in for another hug. Quinn lowered her head, burying her face in Rachel's neck—breathing her in and trying not to cry as small hands ran up and down her back in an effort to soothe her.

* * *

Quinn calmed down considerably on the drive back to the house—Rachel's hand in hers a source of comfort. As Leroy pulled into the driveway, Quinn took a moment to stare at Rachel's house. This was her home now—officially. She didn't have to worry about being taken from the place and more importantly, the people, who made her feel safe over these last two emotionally tumultuous months.

"I hope Frannie and Tom like latkes, because that's what we're having for dinner," Hiram said, breaking into Quinn's thoughts.

She smirked. "Even if they don't, they'll end up loving them. Everything you make is delicious."

"You flatter me, Quinn," he replied, smiling at her before climbing out of the car.

As Quinn made her way out of the car, she paused, seeing Tom's car pull up to the curb. She hung back with Rachel, taking hold of Rachel's mitten-covered hand as she waited for Frannie and Tom.

"I'm glad your sister could come," Rachel said.

"Me too," Quinn agreed, wrapping her arms around Rachel and holding her close for warmth and for comfort.

Rachel let out a sigh and nestled her head under Quinn's chin. "I love you," she murmured softly against her chest, causing Quinn to smile as she echoed the words back to her girlfriend.

Tom and Frannie smiled fondly at the two of them as they made their way up to the driveway, and Quinn felt a small measure of relief that they were both so accepting of her sexuality and her relationship with Rachel.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute, Quinn?" Frannie asked as they started to head up the walkway leading to the Berrys' front door.

"Sure," she agreed before turning to Rachel. "Mind giving us a few minutes?"

Rachel shook her head, letting go of Quinn's hand and giving her a quick peck on the lips before following her fathers and Tom inside.

Quinn stepped onto the front porch and pulled her coat tighter around herself in an effort to get warmer. Her breath fogged in the cold air as she took a seat on one of the chairs. She watched Frannie do the same as she settled down beside her, and then, to Quinn's surprise, her sister pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket. "I didn't know you smoked."

Frannie shrugged, placing the cigarette between her lips and lighting up. "I know it's a bad habit, but it relaxes me," she replied, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Tom wants me to quit, but I can't seem to break it."

"I see."

They fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Quinn watched Frannie seemingly gather her thoughts as she continued to puff on her cigarette.

"I'm sorry," Frannie finally said, her pale blue eyes mournful. "I should have come back to make sure that you were okay. I just… I was too afraid to see him again."

Quinn smiled sadly, feeling a little conflicted about everything. "I don't blame you. I had every intention of doing what you did—get out of here and never look back. And it's not like you didn't keep in touch with me."

"I know," she said. "But, Quinn, I'm… I knew Dad was probably hurting you, and I should have at least asked…"

"And I would have changed the subject," Quinn interrupted, shaking her head. "I don't like talking about it. Even this, right now, is really hard for me."

"I know the feeling," Frannie said, blowing out a long breath of smoke. "I mean, you know how it was in that house. We never talked about _anything_." Her brow furrowed as she took another drag. "I've actually been going to therapy in Chicago," she admitted, taking Quinn by surprise. "It's helped me a lot."

"That's… that's good," Quinn said after a beat.

"Maybe you could try it sometime. I mean, I know you have Rachel to talk to, just like I have Tom, but having that other perspective helps."

"I don't know," Quinn said, resistant to the idea.

"I'll go with you, if you want," Frannie offered. "Maybe that would actually be good for us to do once in awhile."

Quinn shrugged. "I'll think about it," she said, humoring her sister.

Frannie sighed and gave her a knowing look before taking another drag. "Either way, I'm going to make sure to come back to Lima more often. And you should come visit me some time. Chicago is awesome," she finished with a soft smile.

Quinn smiled in return. "I'd like that." She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a moment. "I really have missed you, Fran. I… I'm really glad you came back, even though I know it was the last place you wanted to be."

"Quinn, how could I _not_ be here for this?" Frannie replied. "I didn't stay away from Lima because of you. I stayed away because of him." She cast her eyes down as she forcefully stubbed out her cigarette on the bottom of her shoe. After regathering herself, Frannie looked back up to meet Quinn's eyes. "But what's done is done. Neither of us can change the past. We'll just move forward from here, alright?"

Quinn nodded and smiled. "Sounds good to me."

"Come here," Frannie said, getting to her feet and opening her arms. Quinn's smile grew as she stood and stepped into her sister's embrace.

* * *

Later that night, after Frannie and Tom had left to go to their hotel, Rachel and Quinn headed downstairs into the basement to watch a movie. Wanting to keep things as light as possible after an emotionally heavy day, Rachel popped in her dad's copy of _Dodgeball_ into the DVD player.

As they sat cuddled up together on the couch, Quinn quickly forgot about the movie, too focused on the girl who's head was resting in her lap. Her slender fingers ran gently through brunette locks—a soft smile playing at her lips. As she continued to gaze down at Rachel, she felt her heart swell with affection. _"How did I get so lucky?"_ she wondered.

Rachel turned her head to look up at Quinn and smiled. "It might have something to do with how amazing you are."

Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. "Did I say that out loud or was that you being a little bit psychic?"

Rachel laughed a little as she moved to sit. "You were thinking out loud," she confirmed. "But I don't mind. It's nice to know you appreciate me," she added before leaning in to kiss Quinn, smiling against her lips.

"Of course I appreciate you," Quinn said after they pulled apart. She gazed intently at Rachel, growing a little more serious—wanting Rachel to know how much she meant her words. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Clearly touched by Quinn's words, Rachel's eyes shined with adoration. "I could say the same thing about you. I can't believe I almost missed out on having someone as wonderful as you as my girlfriend," she said, shaking her head a little.

Quinn's lips quirked up into a smile at that. "Your stubbornness was a blessing in disguise. It's exactly what I needed," she said, wrapping her arms around Rachel. "_You_ are exactly what I needed." She paused, searching Rachel's eyes. "And what I still need," she finished, capturing Rachel's top lip between her own.

Quinn then flicked her tongue lightly against Rachel's mouth, and Rachel's lips parted slightly, allowing Quinn to deepen their kiss as she fisted her hands in Rachel's shirt. Nimble fingers caressed the back of her neck, sending a pleasant shiver through her body as their tongues continue to brush against one another.

"I love you," Rachel said breathlessly as they pulled apart, her brown eyes shining with love and happiness and desire.

Quinn stared back, her eyes reflecting the same emotions. "I love you, too," she breathed out. "So much."

She leaned in again and closed her eyes—savoring the feeling of Rachel's lips moving against her own.

Quinn didn't know exactly what the future held for her and her family, but enveloped by the love and safety of Rachel's embrace, she knew she would never have to face it alone.


End file.
